Metallica Tales, Year One
by wericdream
Summary: Its not the way things happened. A American muggle born just could not attened Hogwarts. Exspeacilly one name Metallica McLeoud, a tough, rough talking, fighter girl who needs no one. New faces, old faces, Metallica's Tales have got it all...and then some
1. And We Need A Hero To Save Us

**This is taking place years after the events in **_**Harry Potter**_**, which may or may not affect events on this story. This completely a different story in Hogwarts with mentions of the characters in the book. If you don't like the idea please don't read, this is just creative expression. Otherwise, please enjoy :]**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, sadly… **

In the underworld beneath normalcy a gathering of the minds was taking place. Ten cloaked figures sat in a circle, hands entwined. They watched as the swirling blue mass in the center of the circle grew larger, showing shadowy images in shapes of one distinct shape. At last it was too much for one to bear and he broke the tie of the circle.

"Are we certain that this child is our savior, that she is indeed one of us?" His raspy voice questioned his elders.

"Completely. This is the one." The leader answered, his fingers reaching into the blue mass, touching the shadowed images. "It has been many years since the wizarding world has needed a savior. Strange how it's future always falls upon one without an inkling of what they are entering. Is that not true my dear?" The shadowed image, in the form of a girl, opened its eyes.

~1~

The schoolyard was in complete chaos. Shouts of cheers and boos echoed throughout the school. Teachers ran about franticly, not sure what was happening.

"She's at it again." One teacher told the principal who frowned angrily, heading to the yard.

A crowd of seventh grades stood round in a circle watching the fight before them with murderous looks. Shouts of 'GET HER' rang off many of their tongues, though none knew why. Three boys shoved and pushed at one small child. They took turns punching, some to the head, others to the stomach. The child did not scream or shout, not bothering to fight back truly until at last it took too much. The child let out a scream, one loud, ear shattering scream that sent the boys flying with a flash of blue light. The crowd jumped backing, glancing first at the boys and then turning to stare at the child. In moments they would be upon her, granting payback for what they deemed a sin. Like they had done many a time before. They all took a step closer to the child, ready to begin their own brand of torture when a firm hand yanked the child away, leading it back to the building without so much a glance at the others.

"Metallica McLeod, one day we will not have to go through this. One day we shall get some peace and quiet at this school where I will not have to pull you away from a fight." Principal O'Neal groaned.

Metallic shook her head defensively. "I never start the fights, but you never believe me."

"Regardless of that, I am going to have to suspend you."

"From summer school? You're goanna suspend me from summer school?"

"It is not like I have much of a choice. This is the fifth fight you have been in this week and it is only Wednesday. Wednesday! Even children who have gone to be convicts did not have that many fights in one fight by _Wednesday_. Besides, you did not really need summer school. You passed all the final exams with perfect scores."

"Then why am I here in the first place?"

"Because, since you never did any work, you failed your classes." He looked dead her in the eye. "Metallica, you are smart, probably the smartest we have here. But you cause too much of problem area. Fights, talking back, refusing to do what is asked of you, everyone has given up on you. Now I know you have had a rough life," at this Metallica frowned and crossed her arms, refusing to look at O'Neal, "no one here doubts that. Few could have gone through what has been done to you and stayed sane, but the facts remain. You are too far gone for us to provide you with any sort of support. I am sorry."

The secretary came into the office and started to lead Metallica away. Metallica stopped and turned her principal. "Must be new, telling an eleven year-old she's already 'too far gone' for you to help. Must be nice to be able to tell that to somebody when you just don't know how to deal."

O'Neal didn't look at her. "I've called your aunt. She will be here shortly."

Metallica sat in the waiting room patiently waiting for her aunt. She tried, unsuccessfully, to read the year old magazines offered in the room, but with the coughing sick people around her, reading was not possible. She settled on watching the news, interrupted by a cough here and there and a roar of thunder from the storm outside.

"_Odd weather reports are coming in Mary. From all over the country, weather patterns seemed to have shifted. It's snowing in Florida and California, flooding in New Mexico, and there seems to be drought in Wisconsin. I don't know what is going on, but I can tell you, if things don't change-and it doesn't appear that it will-we will be is some deep trouble."_

A naval person stood up and changed the channel. Objections were brought up by many, but were ignored. The man stopped on another news channel and sat back down, ignoring the angry looks of those around him.

"_That's right Tom. It appears as though strange sightings in the air are appearing throughout Camden County. Thousand of owls are flocking to some unknown location and earlier today there were sighting of shooting stars, in broad daylight…"_

"Metallica, honey, you ready to go?" Aunt Anna asked, coughing in her hand as she did so. Metallica nodded and followed her sickly pale aunt out of the hospital and into the growing storm. Outside the air was dense, the clouds near pitch black, the wind blowing violently, flashes of lightning forming every few moments. "Let's hurry," Aunt Anna cried, "wouldn't want to be caught outside if it continues to get worse."

In the hospital the news stations were changed again. Live feed of violent storms wrecking the land around them showed just how worse things were going to become.

"_Tornado warnings are in effect for the following counties: Glenn, Camden…"_

Metallica stopped dead in her traps as the words of the radio computed into her brain. She gripped the glass of water tightly in her hand, close to breaking it. A list of things to do played her mind, safety processions to take, but she knew none of them truly mattered. The trailer was made of the cheapest wood there was, flying off with gentle winds. If a tornado wanted them, it would have them in seconds. A cough from her aunt jolted Metallica back to reality and she hurried to give her aunt her medicine and water.

"Tornado warning." She murmured, handing her aunt the glass.

Aunt Anna laughed, wincing as well. "That tornado will have us in no time. We'll be a little snack for it." She laughed harder, causing her to cough violently. Her face suddenly became grave. "Look, Metallica, the doctor, well, the doctor told me that I don't have much time."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"I'm sorry, but it has to be said. Once I go, you'll have no one to take care of you. Of course, I haven't done that great of a job…"

"Stop, you know you've been great."

Aunt Anna smiled weakly. "You're a sweet one. According to the state you can't take care of yourself. Come now, don't give me that look. I know you've been taking care of yourself since the moment you were born. They just don't understand that. Now the state will lock you up in some orphanage where, with your record, you don't have much of a chance of getting adopted. Not that any of that is your fault, people don't listen to truths they don't want to hear." She took Metallica's hands in hers. "I love you and I am so, so sorry that I can't stay here for you any longer, but baby girl, but times a coming and then ain't nothing I can do to stop the reaper from taking what he wants. I just want to know that I love you and am so proud of all that you have done so far. And I know you'll do something great with yourself one of these days."

"I'll make you proud. I promise, I'll make you so proud you won't be able to stand it."

Aunt Anna stoked her hair. "That's my girl."

A sound of a freight train, yet far more savage, crackled in the silence.

Metallica searched the wreckage herself. The place was littered with bits and pieces of wood. Aunt Ann's body had been dragged off by the tornado. A normal person would cry at all that they had lost. Metallica wasn't a normal person. She busied herself with the search and didn't notice the noise of beating wings or the hoot of an owl. She didn't notice anything until one small, white envelope floated down in front of her. She caught the paper in her hand and glanced about to see where it came from. A barn owl behind her cocked its head at her, staring into her green eyes. Metallica looked at it and at the paper, then back again. She turned to the paper over to open it, puzzled by the seal.

"Hogwarts?"

It was trick. Yeah, that was it. A trick from one of Metallica's many, many enemies. There was no plausible way she was a witch. After all, withies did not exist and even if they did, she couldn't be one of those. Sure, it would explain all the strange little things that happened to her. All those little 'oddities' that earned her many of her fights could and would be easily explained by the presence of magic, but there was not such a thing. That blue light that had sent the boys flying the day before was just a trick of the light or something. The broken cup that Metallica dropped didn't really repair itself. Her hair didn't grow back when Will Williams put bubble gum in it, did it? No, that wasn't possible. There was no such thing as magic. Nope, na ah, never, lies, not going to happen, no way, no. She should just burn the letter and pretend it never existed. And yet… she couldn't do it. There was something about it that just wouldn't let her burn it. Even if it was fake-well it was-at least it was fun to _pretend _that she could be a witch. Although, again, witches weren't real.

"What a dump. Well I do hope you have all your belongings in order, appears you will not becoming back here and I have no wish to spend time waiting on you to do…whatever it is that you are doing." A foreign-in more ways then one-voice came from behind her. Her eyes went wide in almost fear. Almost fear because Metallica did not get scared at anything. Ever. "Well, what is it that you are waiting for?" She slowly turned around to face a middle-aged man, perhaps in the mid thirties, with greasy raven black hair and slanted emerald eyes staring at her. He was dressed head to toe in black with a long, flowing black robe.

"Who are you and what the hell do you want?" She asked with an edge to her voice. She didn't like strangers, being snuck up upon, or being told what to do by people who had yet to earn her respect, something she rarely gave out. This man had violated all three pet peeves.

His eyes narrowed. "I will not tolerate such language and especially not from one so young."

She couldn't bite her tongue. "Experiences make the age, not the years. And I don't listen to people I don't know and who sneak up on me."

"I did not sneak. If you had better hearing perhaps you would have heard me. As it is, we are late and must hurry. Now if you would be so could as to gather your belongings we may be off."

"No."

"No?"

"No."  
"And why, petrel, not?"

"I don't know you. As far as I am concerned you could be a pedophile and a kidnapper." His eyes narrowed further at the thought. "And if you haven't noticed, my house was just destroyed by a tornado. My aunt-my only family-is dead, dying just before the tornado carried her off and so now I have no family and no home."

"All the better to come with me."

"Think again."

He took a step closer to her. "Look you, I was sent by the Headmaster himself to come and fetch you. I have no desire to take you shopping for your school supplies or explain everything to you either. I would greatly appreciate it if you could just come along like a good child so that we may be done with this business and be on our separate paths."

She cocked her head. "Headmaster?"

He groaned. "Yes, Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The school _you_ have just been accepted in and received a letter from." She looked down at the piece of paper in her hands.

"Are you pulling my leg?"

"You know, I never understood that expression, but no, I am not 'pulling your leg'."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Do you honestly think it matters to me if you trust me or not? As it appears, you have nothing left to do but either come with me or stay here with nothing. Either path seems to blanketed by mystery. What you must ask yourself is if the life you have always had is worth staying here with nothing and no one, as you said earlier, or start on a brand new one, with no one and nothing."

Metallica looked around and at the thin piece of paper in her hands. That one piece of paper, so thin and small, held another life for her, one that was not yet tainted by the one she currently resided in. A fresh start, everyone needed it, few ever got it, and here it was, offered up to her without a price. Did there really seem to be a choice in that?

She looked up at the man, determination shining in her eyes. "Why not?"

"First things first, let us gather your belongings." The man instructed Metallica.

Metallica snorted. "You're looking at it."

"Pardon me?"

She rolled her green eyes and twirled around. "That's it. This all I got left."

The man looked her up and down. Metallica was dressed in holey blue jeans, tattered snickers, with a black _Nickleback _shirt on, and a blue ball cap. All and all she looked like a street urchin. _I might as well be one, _she thought to herself. "There must be more than…that in this rubbish."

"Rubbish? Man, where are you from?"

"England. Now please stand back." He pushed her aside, flicking a black wand out of his robes.

Metallica stared at him in disbelief. "England?"

Ignoring her, the man pointed his wand at the scene before him. "_Accio possessions."_

"What good do you think that will do…WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" The thrash that had once been Metallica's trailer started to move. Well, more like flying around then anything. Bits and pieces of debris shot to the woods. Metallica had to duck down to stay out of the line of fire. It carried on that way for a good time, wood and metal narrowly missing Metallica while the man stayed perfectly still. Suddenly it stopped and in front of Metallica was a small bundle. She cautiously picked it up, scared that it would come to life. Picking inside she discovered a few various objects of hers that she thought had been lost in the storm. She glanced up at the man with wide eyes.

"If you are to be a witch, you must learn magic. You do realize this?" He asked her with a serious turn.

"I," she gulped, "think I believe you know. About being a witch now."

They traveled to England by plane in order to better explain a few things, as the man put it. The fight attendants had given them both rather odd looks as they boarded, being slightly confused at the sight of the man all dressed in black and the weather beaten girl traveling together. It hadn't helped matters that the man had asked: "Why do muggles use these…things when they could just use brooms?"

"Muggles?" Metallica questioned.

"Those without magic." He said simply, as if it was the most idiotic question he had ever heard. "Now we must clear some things up on our way to England. My name is Verbatim, Professor Verbatim."

"Teacher."

"Come again?"

"You said professor, only colleges have professors. Schools have teachers."

"That may be the case in America, but in England, especially at Hogwarts, we have _professors,_ not teachers. Understand?" She nodded. "Good. Now I teach Potions and I am the head of Slytherin-"

"Slytherin?"

His eyes narrowed at her interruption. "Yes, Slytherin. At Hogwarts students are sorted into one of four houses: Hufflepuff, of the cowardness, Ravenclaw, of the most boring, Gryffindor, of the most thick headed, and Slytherin, the most conniving. When you reach Hogwarts you and your fellow first years shall be sorted each going to where they are meant to be."

"Which house do you think I'll be in?"

Verbatim stared down her, giving her a good look over. He looked away before answering. "Gryffindor or Slytherin most defiantly. However, your chances of being in Slytherin are slim."

"Why?"

"Because only 'purebloods' ever gain admittance into Slytherin, or least ones that have a parent who is a pureblood. Everyone one else is…tolerated or shoved aside."

"I take it 'pureblood' stands for anyone without a drop of muggle blood inside them."

"You learn quickly do you not?"

Metallica smiled mysteriously, a smile only meant for her. "Life tends to be easier that way."

"_Good evening ladies and gentleman, we will be landing in London in just a few moments…"_

Metallica, accustomed to the rather heated weather Georgia, decided within moments of landing that she did not care for the cold air of England. Verbatim struggled to contain his laughter at the sight of his young charge shivering violently. Her teeth started to chatter and he let out a loud snort.

"It is hardly that cold." He said, taking her arm and leading her inside the airport. "This is mild by most standards."

"Mild? Is all of England this mild?"

"No, but we have had a cold front of late. Seems winter shall come early this year."

"I was afraid of that."

They wasted no time at the airport. Verbatim quickly called for a taxi, muttering 'idiotic muggle contraption' under his breathe, and shoved Metallica inside. He was, so she thought, rude with the driver, complaining at the lack of speed. With a look at his murderous eyes, she decided to let it go. Besides, it got them to the Leaky Cauldron quickly. The inside of the Leaky Cauldron was dark and the air was thick of smoke. Metallica had trouble breathing with all the smoke, but luckily Verbatim shoved past all the wizards and witches asking for a moment for his time and led Metallica to a back room.

"Um, why did we come to a dead end?" She asked cautiously. Verbatim's attitude had taken a turn for the worse and she was afraid of upsetting him further. He gave her a cross look and turned his attention to the wall. He tapped the stones in a sequence with his wand, not pausing to explain to her what he was doing. Suddenly the wall started to move apart, a city appearing in front of them. "Where are we?" Again he did not answer her, instead pushing her forward, the wall closing in behind them. Metallica's eyes sparkled with fascination at the world around her. Oddly shaped buildings with every kind of magic items decorated the cobblestone road. Wands, brooms, cauldrons, magic books, familiars…anything and everything was just a few footsteps away. Metallica wanted _everything._ People with odd clothes and English accents scurried about, parents yelling for children who had wandered away, and children screamed for various toys. Still dressed as Verbatim found her, Metallica felt completely out of place. While it was a feeling she was quite accustomed to, it still hurt nonetheless.

"Professor," she had a feeling that calling him Verbatim now would only anger him further, "the letter says I have to buy some stuff, but I don't have money. Even if I did, it would be American money, not…whatever you use here."

His facial expression softened slightly. "The school shall provide money for you supplies and give you a living expense allowance each month."

"Really? But…why?"

"There are few orphans in the wizarding the world as just about every single child has at least one godparent or one family member that would take the child in. And since the dark lord was defeated long ago there have been very few deaths of anything other than old age and the occasional sickness that results in death. You are the first orphan to attend Hogwarts in a long time."

She snorted. "Well that's a great title to have."

"The Headmaster shall explain it to you further, I presume, so let us dwell on the subject no further for now. Shall we begin our shopping adventure?" He had her at shopping.

Now Metallica was not a typical girl when it came to shopping. To be more exact, she was not a typical girl in any manner, but she was particularly odd when it came to shopping. For the most part she loathed it. This could have been due to the fact that she had been poor her entire life. Money had always been sparse and need for other things than clothes, namely Aunt Anna's medicine. Not that she minded giving up new clothes and toys and such for Aunt Anna's needs. She was happy to do that, besides she never cared much for fashion. Jeans and t-shirt, those were her high fashion. Yet while shopping for her school supplies she was oddly gitty. Half of her brain felt guilty about it; Aunt Anna had taught her that materialistic things held no importance in her life. The other half told its partner to shut up. For the first time she got to get _new _things without worrying about the cost. Much. Verbatim kept telling her that she could get anything for any amount of money. She had plenty of money now. But old habits died hard and she kept looking for the cheapest prices. She past by a brand new cauldron that was top of the line for a much cheaper, not as flashy but just as sturdy cauldron. She bought a robe of cheap fabric rather than the more fashion fabric robes. At every turn she opted for the cheapest item that she could, within limit. But she went wild in the bookstore. A very important fact about Metallica is that she loved books. While she had slept through most of her school years, hardly bothered with homework, and could care less about what her teachers thought of her, she loved books. She could usually be found in a corner somewhere with a dim light reading a large book that most high schoolers could not get through. So when she entered the Megiddo's Book Store, she went wild. She bought the books required for her, and then the ones she was sure she would need for next year. Then she bought every book she could find until Verbatim finally found the courage to stop the insane eleven year old from buying the entire store.

"You do not even need _A Guide to Taking Care of Your Own Magical Creature _or _A History of…_why in the world would you want a book about wizarding pirates?"

"I like pirates."

"Oddly that does not surprise me. Now the last thing you must attend to is a wand."

"What about a familiar?"

"You want a cat?"

"NO! I don't know what I want, but I know I would like one, just not a cat."

"Not a fan of cats I assume?"

"Oh, I like them okay, but I like dogs a lot better."

"And again, I am not surprised. Would you like to get your wand first and then search for a suitable pet?"

"Alright, lead on."

They came to Olivandors and were faced with a long line. A line of Hogwarts students-to-be was waiting to purchase their wands. A number of the first years eyed Metallica suspiciously, obviously noting her foreign look. It hardly bothered her, she was used to such looks back in Georgia. And to be quite honest, the looks given to her by the English children were not even a third as bad as the ones she received by the American children. It didn't stop her from being glad when the line was down to just her and two other boys, one with red hair and green eyes, and one chubby boy with a nervous look about him. The red head didn't bother to give either one of them a look, to preoccupied with pacing back and forth, muttering something about money. When he finally disappeared into the store the chubby turned to Metallica.

"Are you going to be first year too?" He asked, instantly relaxing slightly when she nodded. "I'm so nervous…I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff with my luck. What about you, what house do you think you'll get?"

"I guess Gryffindor, but I'm new to this whole thing so it doesn't really matter. Just want to learn some magic already."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You're not from England are you?"

She sighed and placed her hands on her head. "Nope, America. And I come from a 'muggle'…household. I guess ya could say the odds are stacked against me."

"That's so wicked. I never met an American before. Is it as wild as people say it is?"

_Nope._ "Sure, whatever you say. Look it's your turn now."

"Oh thanks." He stopped right outside the door and turned to her. "I'm Trevor Longbottom-Dursley by the way, and you are?"

"Metallica." She hardly ever added her last name, not out of shame, but because she didn't need to. Few people could possibly forget a name like Metallica. By the look on his face, Trevor wouldn't.

Verbatim came up beside her. "Making some friends are you?"

She sneered. "I don't do friends."

"That is an odd attitude for one as young as you to have."

"Look I'm fine on my own. Friends just get in the way." The firm set her jaw convinced him to not press the issue any further. Luckily it was her turn to get her wand. _That should take her mind off of things,_ he thought to himself.

The old dwarf with a laughing face gave Metallica a once over before jumping off his stool and running to the very back of the store. The very, very, very back of the store. It took him so long that she started to believe that he had gotten lost or run away. But soon enough he was back.

"I've been waitin' ta han' this be'rey wand ta the one fo' a lon'g ti'me now." He said in a deep, almost country voice.

"The one?" Metallica asked with a cautious look.

The dwarf did not answer her question. Rather, he handed her the wand and started rambling on about the wand. "Tis' a 'peacil wand. Ta wood's fashio'ed from a weeping willow of a elfish forest, a single blade of unicorn hair is woven together with a phoenix feather, crossed with a lock of siren hair, and scales from fire and water dragons coat the wood." She gave him a odd look. "Wa is it?"

"You speak good grammar when talking about how a wand is made." He laughed and started ringing up her tab. Metallica looked over her wand. It was a fairly light in weight and in color-brown- with engravings of animal and mythical beast coming from the bottom to the wand to halfway to the middle. It seemed to be normal wood, but as the light struck it, the dragon scales glistened. On side appeared as if on fire and the other side sparkled like a river. Somewhere in her being, Metallica _knew _that this wand was made for her. She looked up at the dwarf who was busy singing a tune to himself. "Thank you Mr.…"

"Flint. People call m'e Flint." He smiled at her. ""You ta'e good care of ta wand now, you hear?"

"You made this wand didn't you?"

"Now whate'ever mak'es you say tha?"

"Just a feeling I have. You seemed especially proud of it."

His blue eyes shone with pride. "You be a smart one, I give ya tha. I made tha wand all right, took a great bit of time, it did. Ya lookin' ta learn?"

She smirked. "Why, you lookin' to teach?"

Verbatim was waiting for her outside. "Another book? Did you not buy enough earlier?"

"This one was free."

"And how did the come about?"

"Made a friend."

"I believe you said you did not make friends."

She smirked evilly. "I make exceptions."

"I believe there are cats over in that section." Verbatim joked. Metallica gave him the evil eye and shuffled past him. They were in Hershey's Tavern For Pets. It was packed full of odd creatures of every making. Metallica could have sworn she saw a fire rat in one of the many dark corners of the wood built store. The rat just burst into flames as a normal rat drew near. She stared at it wide eye. "Fine, just promise me that you will not, under any circumstances, buy a toad as a pet."

She turned to him with an evil smile. "Why, afraid of toads?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I merely loathe the pests. Who on Earth wants to listen to them crock nonstop throughout the day? Honestly, the only thing they are fit for are serving as ingredients in potions."

"Spoken like a true potions teacher."

"_Professor_, if you are to fit in with this society then you must blend in."

Metallica shook her head. "I've never liked fitting in; too boring and normal for me." She pushed past him towards a small corner without a glimmer of light. A scratching sound drew her near. The noise ceased when she stood in front of it. Her hand, acting on its own, reached into the darkness and gently grabbed the noisemaker. She cradled it in her arms.

Verbatim drew up behind her. "What have you found?" He peeked over her shoulder. "Oh for the love of…are you sure you do not want a cat? There are some nice kittens over there, all meowing for a owner."

"Nope, I think this will do."

"But a…they…oh what's the point? You shall do as you wish of course. I cannot stop you, but are you sure that you want _that?_"

"Yep." The two-headed black bat with the red stomach fluttered its wings. "I think I'll name you Kitty."

"Honestly?"

"…Maybe…"

Metallica had a week to wait before the being of school. _'Term'_ as Verbatim so bluntly put it. Not wanting to be behind in magic- Verbatim tried unsuccessfully to assure her that she would not be- she busied herself with reading her books, learning a few things of the wizarding world, and, of course, playing with her bat, which was not named Kitty but Aerosmith. Being who he was, Verbatim did not understand the bat's name, but then, he did not understand Metallica's name either. At the end of the week Verbatim decided that they need to have a 'talk' about certain things. They settled down in the lounge of their hotel over a cup of hot chocolate.

Verbatim looked fairly uncomfortable so Metallica thought it best if she started the conversation off. "This is where you tell me that you ain't going to be so nice at school, ain't it?"

He looked stunned. "Repeat that please?"

She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink. "It's a feeling I got. You're probably a real tough act at school. Can't be show favor to anyone but Slytherins right? That's why you got so mad when we got to Diagon Alley. You ain't supposed to be seen with a muggle born student. Probably ain't supposed to like them neither. Don't bother me none. I'm used to it. Fact probably be better if we pretended we didn't know each other. Don't want anybody given me a hard time 'cause they think I'm some sort of teacher's pet."

He sighed. "I am so very sorry, but yes. That is the way it goes. I did not truly want to come on this mission or become more or less 'friends' with you-"

"Don't make friends."

He looked slightly taken back. "Well yes, so you have said. But I believe you know what I mean. And you are right; it would be better if we pretended not to know each other before term. The other students, most importantly the Slytherins, would strike it against you." He stood up from the table. "Now that we settled the matter, it is off to bed with you. You will be boarding the train and arriving at Hogwarts tomorrow. Best to be awake for all of that." He walked away without another word. Metallica sipped her chocolate, spilling some as her hand started to shake. She would never admit that it was because of nerves because Metallica McLeod never got nervous and she certainly never got scared. Not for anything, even a new world.


	2. Faces Born of the Past

**Slightly saddened by the lack of reviews, but I figure this a complete OC so people finding this story and actually reading will take some time, so I will keep writing because for once I ****actually**** like a story I have written. It's a miracle!**

**Disclaimer: I claim only Metallica (no, not the band, though that would be nice, but my character Metallica) cannot claim Harry Potter, regrettably…**

Metallica had never ridden a train before. Granted there were trains in Georgia, but that was mostly in Atlanta, a place Metallica had not had the pleasure of strolling in, and trains cost money. Metallica never had money. Ever. Yet here she was, American born Muggle with absolutely no money she would claim as her own- no matter what Verbatim said she would not claim the Hogwarts pity money as her own- waiting to board the Hogwarts Express. Hogwarts…Some corner of her brain screamed that this was a very, very bad idea. Very, very bad indeed. Hogwarts, it told her, was a bad idea that could only end in tragedy. Her tragedy to be precise. She was finding it hard to find the strength to tell that particularly annoying part of her mind to shut up as she clutched her ticket to her chest. She was, of course, alone Verbatim having refused point blank, as it was agreed, to accompany her to the train. It would only create further problems for her, so he said and so she agreed. Thus agreeing together, Verbatim had promptly abandoned her once reaching the station. It would have hurt her deeply had it not been for the fact that she had been abandoned the entirety of her life, with one special exception of her late aunt. It did hurt her, however, that she had no idea where her train was. Well, until she saw _them _anyway. A family of wizards and witches passed by her angrily complaining about the mass amounts of muggles in the station.

"Year after year, muggles, muggles, and more muggles crowding the small space of as station. I tell you if I could…" The mother- or grandmother as it were- with gray hair raged. Noticing a opportunity when she saw one, Metallica followed the family at a safe distance. She wanted their help in locating the train without them knowing. Metallica was not one to ask for help unless in dire need as she was not about to change her habits right now. She figured that social invisibility had its uses at times as the magic family did not sense her stalking them in the lest. The family stopped at a midsection beneath two signs, thus Metallica stopped a few feet away from them. The mother/grandmother ushered her youngest towards the brick wall. The boy started to run straight towards the bricks and Metallica wondered what they were thinking. He was going to crash right into the…of course. He disappeared into the bricks, most likely where the train for Hogwarts was. Wizards and witches with their tricks. _Well me and my tricks now,_ she thought to herself, remembering that she two was now a witch. She watched the family closely as each member disappeared into the bricks, trying to catch any trick they were using. It appeared as if all it took was running into the bricks. Simple concept really and if it didn't work the worst that could happen would be smacking into the wall and having people look at you as if you were a complete idiot. Hitting a wall wasn't much of a pain to Metallica and people were always looking at her oddly anyway so what was the harm in running full speed into a bunch of bricks? Nothing if you were a witch in training. _Then prove it_, her inner voice told her as the last of the family disappeared. She complied, running full force into the bricks before anyone could notice what she was doing. Like any person with half a sane mind, she imagined hitting the wall with a bang, but the bang never came. She opened her eyes to a large train room with a black and red train in the middle. People with odd clothes rushed about, hollering every which way. Steam from the train filled the roof of the building and the noise of the people filled the rest of it. It was comical to Metallica to see a bunch of people with clocks and wizard hats on running about, but then she knew she had to look stupid just gaping at them all. But it was as if her body was glued the ground. Her body would not move, not listening to her brain telling it to move. She knew what it meant; her adventure of a lifetime was about to unfold. Aerosmith sang in unison. It all started now.

[M][e][t][a][l][l][I][c][a]

Metallica would never, under any circumstances, admit that she felt lonely as parents, grandparents, friends, and everyone under the sun cried farewells to loved ones as the train pulled out of the station. Nor would she admit how much she could be one of those girls crying at the thought of homesickness. More to the point she wished she could cry. But that was something she could never do because she was Metallica McLeod, cool as ice and tough as stone. She left all the crying girls and cheering boys in search of a compartment or whatever little rooms on a train were called. She passed by many compartments each packed with people. The ones filled with upper classmen chilled when she opened the doors and the ones with first years seemed to electrify. Neither was appealing. She just wanted a room alone, away from everyone else that seemed to know at least one person on the miserable train. Not that she was bitter or anything. Oh no, not bitter at all.

Finally, after much searching, she found a compartment completely devoid of life. Ah, the peace and quiet. She sat in the corner near the window and sprawled her legs out on the other side of the red seat. A book quickly found itself on her lap, open and ready to be read, when the door suddenly flew open. Metallica was about to give one of her best signature glares to her intruder when she looked up to see who dared enter her sanctuary. It was the chubby raven haired boy from earlier. He was panting heavily as if he had been running and his gray eyes seemed to light up when he saw her. She did not know whether she should be faltered or slightly annoyed at his presence and seemly happiness to see her.

_Don't do friends, don't do friends, don't do friends…_

"Ah ha! At long last I found you!" He grinned foolishly, taking the seat across from her. "I have been wondering when I would come across you!"

"What, ya been lookin' for me or somethin'?" She asked, trying to sound annoyed, which she still could not decide if she was or not.

His grin wavered slightly and she felt instantly guilty. He really looked like a puppy eager to please her and one could not help but feel bad when a puppy dropped its wagging tail. "Erm, yes. Thought we could…"

Inwardly, Metallica groaned. "How long do you think we have before we reach Hogwarts?"

His face continued to fall. He probably thought she wanted to get rid of him. "Erm… I dunno. Probably a few hours at least."

_Don't do friends, don't do friends…_

"Think they are going to sort us as soon as we get there?" She asked, trying to pull him into a conversation that would not end up awkward. She didn't like awkward.

Again with the face falling. "That is what my family has told me…they'll probably disown me when I get put in Hufflepuff. They all went into Gryffindor and I'll be the first to go another way…" So much for not being awkward.

Metallica sighed and slammed her book close. "Hufflepuffs are known as cowards right?" He solemnly nodded. "And Gryffindors are known as having courage right?" He nodded once more and Metallica sighed again. "Then you won't be in Hufflepuff."

His head snapped up. "What do you mean?"

_Don't do friends…_

"Only someone who is completely stupid, thickheaded, or brave, would approach someone like me, so as I believe Hufflepuffs don't fit into any those things, from what I gathered, you won't be in Hufflepuff. Or Ravenclaw, they don't fit those either do they?"

He grinned like a manic. "That leaves Gryffindor and Slytherin."

_Don't do friends…AH TO HELL WITH IT!_

Metallica granted him a rare grin. "Imagine what your family would think of that, joining Slytherin."

He laughed, imaging what would happen. "I don't think my grandparents could take it."

[M][c][L][e][o][d]

"You must be joking, not knowing who the golden trio was!" Trevor Longbottom-Dursley gaped at his newfound friend with utter disbelief. "Every witch and wizard knows about them!"

"But," Metallica injected with utmost patience, "I wasn't raised in the magic world so I wouldn't know about them."

"But you read the books!"

"Well yeah, but not about them. Just the things that they did."

"THAT'S THE SAME THING!"

Metallica rolled her eyes. "All I know is that they defeated the supposed dark lord Voldermort-", Trevor let out an eep at the mention of the name that was still considered taboo, "-and that they went on to live very happy lives, save for the girl and the red head, but I don't know _them_. I know the things that they had to do to save the world, but I don't know them in particular, like how it all began for the three of them, not just Harry Potter, but for the rest of them as well and all that jazz."

"Jazz?"

"It's an expression."

"Oh, okay. But Metallica…"

"Yeah?"

"That thing about the Weasleys, Ron and Hermione, well I don't know how you know it, but, well, you see, it's best you don't mention it okay? The Weasleys haven't truly gotten over it yet you know and the grandkids are willing to pummel anyone who dares to mention it, okay?" His face was grave as he stuttered the words out and Metallica fought the urge to roll her green-blue eyes for that reason and that reason only.

"Look here, I can take care of myself, got it?" He stared at her in shock. "I've been in plenty of fights with people four times my size…not that it's hard for them to beat me in size…and I've beaten them all. So don't go thinkin' that someone's going to beat me okay?" Once her words seemed to have sunken into his thick skull she softened her face. "But I don't go round spillin' secrets that ain't mine and I wouldn't even if they were. It's between the Weasleys and the Malfoys, not me so don't worry, I wouldn't have said anything anyway."

His face brightened. "Thanks." His eyebrows etched together. "One thing that bothers me though, how did you know about…it?" Metallica merely shrugged her shoulders and went back to reading her book when a woman appeared in front of the door.

"Anything off the trolley?" She asked.

Metallica's eyes widened in surprise. "Chocolate frogs?"

[M][a][g][I][c]

With the way Trevor ate, Metallica was beginning to understand how he was so large. Not that he was disgusting when he ate or anything, but not only did he eat what his father's mother had made for him but he ate so much candy from the trolley Metallica, who hadn't eaten anything, was beginning to feel full herself. Trevor, for his part, merely shrugged his shoulders sheepishly at his friend.

"I always eat a lot when I'm nervous."

Metallica nodded her head as if she really didn't care, which she honestly didn't, and started to kick him out of the room. "Ya heard what they said, we'll be there soon and I still have to change into my robes." Which wasn't an idea that she liked very much. Like most teenagers, Metallica loathed uniforms. Loathed them with a passion. Unfortunately it seemed that Hogwarts loved uniforms and in the end Hogwarts won out over Metallica. It was a bitter pill for her to swallow, but she did and she glared at Trevor when he walked back in.

"What did I do?"

"Stupid Hogwarts and its stupid uniforms."

"Oh…"

They soon reached the Hogwarts train station and the noise from the train was deafening. People began to run about, latching onto friends as the crowd pushed them off the train. Metallica gave a death glare to all those around her and they quickly went to push someone else out of the way. She and Trevor, who followed closely behind, jumped off the train without much of a struggle, although other first years weren't so lucky. The red head Metallica had seen at the wand shop had obviously been trampled on, his hair in a mop on his head, his robes with footsteps all over them, and his face was covered with dirt. Three boys with white blonde hair pointed at him and laughed. His face went beet red and it took a boy with black hair to stop him from punching them. Metallica figured she was watching the now legendary Weasly-Malfoy feud in action. All the first years crowded around together, laughing nervously and talking in high pitched voices, jumping up an down as if on a sugar high. All in all, Metallica felt light years older than they. A large man with fiery red hair and a long bushy beard called for the first years. They all stayed where they were, gaping at the giant of a man.

"Angus Hagrid, caretaker of the grounds and the son of the old caretaker." Trevor whispered into her ear.

Angus Hagrid was large, most would say even taller than his father had been, with blazing red hair and cold gray eyes. His voice bellowed over everyone else's as he herded the first years into boats to go across the lake. "**Five in a bout, understood**?" His voice was loud and harsh causing everyone to practically run to the boats, that is, besides Metallica who had seen far scarier people in her life. Luckily she was in the same boat as Trevor who was shaking like a leaf. Part of it was because of the three boys sitting across from them, all staring at him intently, sizing him up for some evil plan. The other part, so she guessed, was the fact that in mere moments they would be sorted and none of his previous nerves had disappeared, much to her disappointment. It was so hard to try to comfort someone who seemed so unwilling to be comforted so she stopped focusing on him and turned to the triplets who were smirking evilly.

"What are those looks for?" She glared at them.

They laughed wickedly. "Nothing we would tell a mudblood about." One said and Trevor gulped.

Metallica, who knew the meaning of the word, rolled her eyes. "Wow, it hurts. Oooh, stop it, it burns, such a bad name, oh no how will I go on?" She narrowed her eyes viciously at the boys. She looked so dangerous the boys inched away from her. "If you think some word like 'mudblood' is enough to upset me than I'm happy to disappoint you. However I am willingly to continue this one sided battle of wits if you wish to go on, because really, you've got nothin'." Everyone, including Trevor, seemed surprised by her monologue, but she knew what she was doing. Every school, no matter how peaceful or chaotic it was, had its bullies in some form or another and they acted fast. Give them an inch in the beginning and you were just asking for a miserable year. But put them in their place at the very start, show them that you weren't afraid, that you couldn't be put down, and they could very well back off for the reminder of the year. That is, if you didn't challenge them in front of everyone and if you made it clear that you didn't care if they bullied the entire school so long as they left you alone. Otherwise they did not take too kindly to you. Metallica had learned these lessons at all of her schools and since she held knowledge of them, she thought it wise to put them to good use. Hogwarts was not going to be like her other schools. She was not, repeat was not, going to be bullied or belittled the whole year by a group of people. Oh no, not her, not this time. "Then again," she smiled at them, "you could just leave me and my friend here alone and we could go on with our lives as if nothing ever happened." The warning was clear in her voice and she hoped the boys were smart enough to listen to it. They just gaped at her. "What?"

"Where are you from?" They all asked in scared tones. Metallica groaned. Somehow she knew that every time she opened her mouth someone was going to be asking her that very same question every single time.

[B][e][l][o][n][g]

It truly did not take long to arrive at the castle, perhaps a sight Metallica would never forget. The castle stood majestically in front of the scared first years, intimating them with its glory. Beside her, Trevor looked as if he could faint at any moment. The three idiot blondes behind her reeked egotistic confidence. For whatever reason she felt as if those four were going to be stuck like glue to her the entire year.

_Great, just great, _she growled at herself, _you weren't supposed to be close to anyone and already you have one friend and three boys who probably will end up in some group with the two of you and the frickin' school year hasn't even started yet!"_

Angus Hagrid pulled the first years out of the boats and threw-literally- them at the castle doors. Everyone that was not in Metallica's little group stood huddled together, shaking nervously. Without so much as a look at them, Hagrid gruffly told them to stay put, he was going to go fetch Professor Someone or other. The moment he entered the castle murmurs started to spread like wildfire throughout the first years.

"How long do you think we will have to wait?" One of the triplets asked the small group. His brothers shrugged their shoulders, all wide eyed. They glanced at Metallica. She gave them a look that told them exactly what she was thinking. Thankfully, they heeded it.

Trevor, surprisingly, was the one to speak up. "Probably not long. They cannot start the feast until we have all been sorted out. I do not think the professors would want to be kept waiting from their meal any longer than need be." The triplets seemed to agree with his logic and nodded their heads. While Metallica may have enjoyed having a friend-possibly- and having people around her to talk to-though she would never under any circumstances admit it- she rather wished the proceedings could be done and over with. The thought of delaying her adventure any longer was getting rather tiresome and in a few seconds time she would be shown just how tiresome it could really be.

"Well look here Crabb," a large boy with large black eyes nudged a shorter, fatter boy next to him, "if it isn't the Malfoys and a Longbottom." The boy next to him sneered. She could hear Trevor cough 'Dursley' under his breath. The two boys neared their small little circle. Somehow Metallica had the feeling that these two boys were going to be trouble and not the fun sort of trouble either. They started pushing her boys-which she would never ever call them- around and poking Trevor in the chest.

Metallica grabbed the tall boy by the wrist. "I wouldn't do that if I was you."

"Was?" The boy sneered. "What, they do not teach mudbloods how to speak any longer?" Metallica sighed in frustration.

"Do purebloods have any strand of originality in their blood or are they too thinned by incest to have any brains at all?"

"You filthy little mudblood-"

She twisted his wrist hard and yanked him towards her where he was only standing on his tippy toes. "Its getting real old hearing the same old word used over and over again, understand?" The boy hissed in pain and in defiance. Of course Metallica had to twist his wrist a little bit more due to his rudeness. "How about you leave me and my friends alone here, okay?" Out of the corner of her eye she saw the four boys perk up at her words. Somehow that neither angered her nor made her happy.

The short boy laughed. "Looks like the Malfoys have become full blood traitors, Goyle, joining up with this lot." He looked the three blonde boys over. "Then again, they did lower their standards greatly when their grandfather slept with that-ARGHH!" The triplets were at once on top of Crabb, pounding the day lights out of him. Somewhere along the line Metallica released Goyle and he joined the fighting. Trevor, who had at some point decided he preferred the Malfoys over the other two, joined the fight, flying on Goyle's back. Metallica, deciding that the odds were in her friend's favor, hung back and watched the action. That is, until a woman with light brown hair touched with gray and cloudy brown eyes in a light blue witches robe brought it to a halt. With a flick of her wand she sent Crabb and Goyle to the ground harshly and the others softly away. The air around them suddenly grew chilled as everything went silent. Only the ones from a family where there was already a witch or wizard had an inkling as to what was going on, although Metallica had a clue.

The woman licked her lips nervously. "There will be no fighting at Hogwarts." She said this very slow and curtly and turned around, her robes flying in the wind. "Follow me please." At once everyone scrambled to follow her, save for the three blondes and one red head who were all lost in some other world.

Metallica leaned into Trevor's ear. "That was who I think it was, right?" He nodded gravely, hardly daring to look at his other friends.

The dining hall, or Great Hall, Metallica wasn't sure what it was called, was large with an impressive image of the cloudy night sky. The other students watched as the first years marched towards the front of the room. It seemed as all the first years were tensed and nervous, excluding Metallica who looked bored. This gave her some rather odd looks from others, but she couldn't care less. It was about time for them to be sorted, she thought, and she hoped it would be done with quickly. They stopped in front of the professors at the high tables. The teachers looked at them all, peering into their little souls. Needless to say, Metallica had to hold Trevor up the whole time.

The professor who had led them in lifted a raggedy old hat off a stool and spoke to them all. "When I call your name please come here to the stool to be placed into your house." She unrolled a piece of parchment. "Trevor Longbottom-Dursley." Trevor gulped and slowly trudged towards the stool. No matter what he thought, Metallica knew that it was best for him to go ahead and get his sorting over with already. He wouldn't make it too long waiting for his turn.

The hat hadn't been on his head a minute when it triumphantly cried out "GRYFFINDOR!" Despite herself Metallica found herself clapping happily at the look of pure joy on Trevor's face. He nearly ran off the stool with the hat still placed on his head.

"Molly Wood." A pretty girl with a round face and light brown hair and pale green eyes rushed to the hat.

"RAVENCLAW!" Molly's face fell drastically and she slowly shuffled towards the cheering Ravenclaw table.

"Angelo Zabini." Metallica would never admit that the boy with short, curly, black hair and tanned skin was cute. Not even on her deathbed would she admit that.

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Marble Longbottom-Lovegood." Metallica turned to stare at her friend as a girl with a dreamy looking face and pale blonde hair nearly floated towards the stool. The hat took a long time with her, murmuring something over and over before weakly calling out 'Gryffindor' and sending the girl on her way. "Marigold Parkinson." A girl with curly brown hair was sent to Hufflepuff and a girl named Violet Parkinson, Metallica assumed they were sisters, with short black hair was sent to Slytherin. A large fuss was made about Marigold and the Hufflepuff students sent the Slytherin table nervous looks. Gorge Crabb and Rufus-here Metallica had to laugh at the idea that a guy that looked like Goyle could be named Rufus- Goyle were sent to Slytherin without much of a surprise. The big shocker, so she guessed, was when it was the time for her triplets to go up. The professor hesitantly called the first Malfoy up. When the first Malfoy was called up, they all huddled around her and whispered in her ear.

"We know where we are going and it's with you." Metallica had a bad feeling. A very, very bad feeling. Taurus, the triplet with pale gray eyes speckled with yellow, took the stool first. It didn't take long for the hat to boldly declare his house.

"**GRYFFINDOR!"** Silence followed the great hall. A Malfoy went to Gryffindor…what was the wizarding world coming to? The Gryffindors clapped loudly for their new housemate, giving the Slytherins winks. The air was tense as Aires, the one with dark, ocean depth, blue eyes speckled with pale green, took the stool. Most thought the first Malfoy was a fluke, that the other two would follow in the steps of their family and go into their house. Which they were, just not in the way that anyone besides Metallica and one other person could recognize. Again the hat happily cried: "**GRYFFINDOR!" **and the next, and final, Malfoy was called up. The professor seemed to have great difficulty calling all three of the names, but it was especially hard on the last one when she began to read the name.

"He…Herm…Herms Malfoy." No one save Metallica saw the tear that drifted down the professor's face. One small, lonely tear. Herms was the smallest of the three and he had deep brown eyes and one of his front teeth was slightly larger than the rest. He did not have the air of confidence that his two older brothers had, but Metallica had the feeling that he had his own strength that the other two were lacking. As Herms slowly trotted up to the stool Metallica watched the professor's reaction. Her brown eyes were glued on Herms and her hands shook slightly as she placed the hat upon his white blonde hair. The room grew quiet, all on their feet to hear the sentence of the last Malfoy.

The hat was silent and did not say anything. It glanced around the room, eyeing everyone. Then it burst out with great pride, "**GRYFFINDOR!"** The room was in an uproar, two red heads yelled bodily at the Slytherin table that they had stolen not one, not two, but three of their snakes. The Gryffindors, all of them, hurriedly rushed to shake the hands of the triplets. Metallica snuck a glance at the professor. She looked as if she could not have been prouder. When at last the roar died down the calling of names went on. The red head and his friend from before where standing by Metallica and she could clearly hear what they were saying.

"Great," the red head groaned, "we are going to have to live with those gits." _Gits?_

The friend shook his head. "We could just go into another house."

An evil smirk crossed the red head's face. "Or we could go to Gryffindor, our birth right, and drive those prats insane and make their lives a living hell." Metallica did not like where that was going.

"William Potter." The red head's friend was quickly placed in Gryffindor. Metallica did not like that.

Just as she was about to call the next name the professor halted. She looked down at the red head, taking in his death glare, before calling the name. "Brutus Weasley." The red head angrily stomped towards her, gave the woman a rude look, sat down on the stool, and flinched as the hat was put on him.

The hat wasted no time. "Gryffindor."

Metallica really did not like that. Not at all.

[H][o][m][e]

Metallica had the feeling that she would be called last. It was not a big feeling really, just one of those things that you know are bound to happen because, well, they just happen. So when it was down to her and one other person- Nicole Clark- she knew that other person would go first. She was right. Nicole quickly went to Gryffindor and all eyes turned towards Metallica. It was something she was used to. Even if she weren't, she would have to get used to it because just as her name was about to be called, the Headmaster decided that it was the time to speak. Why on Earth the man decided at that moment he had to speak was beyond Metallica, but he did it and she was rather cross about it.

He was an old man with a great man of white hair and shaggy pale skin. His voice sounded old and hoarse. "Thank you Mrs. Weasley," Brutus shot a death glare at the Malfoys, "I will take it from here." The professor bowed her head and allowed the Headmaster to speak. "Young witches and wizards, I would like to present Miss Metallica McLeod, a young witch who comes to us from America." Whispers shot throughout the crowd. As much as she hated being put on the spot, Metallica was happy that at least his way no one would be asking where she came from every time she opened her mouth. "Miss McLeod is our first American student that this school has ever had and I hope you all make her feel welcome." Metallica wanted to kill him badly. You did not tell teenagers to make another young person to feel welcome mostly because that would make them seem like a loser-not that Metallica cared about that-and because once you did that, everyone would make sure to prod the new person with question after question. Metallica really did not care for questions.

Professor Weasley called Metallica up and placed the hat on her dirty blonde hair. The hat twitched on her head. "Hmm…you are the interesting one aren't you?"

_Can you just put me in a house already, more to the point Gryffindor?_

"Gryffindor? So sure that is where you are meant to be?" Before everything else had happened, Metallica had thought about being the first muggle born to be sorted into Slytherin, just to annoy everyone, but now she couldn't. Trevor and the triplets would need her in Gryffindor. Potter and Weasley were planning on hurting the Malfoys, which meant Trevor would go down in the process, and those two were bound to have friends. Metallica did not trust her friends to be able to hold their own without her just yet. "Hufflepuff would not fit you at all, oh no. Too strong willed for that you are. You have a dangerously clever and brilliant mind, oh yes you do. But I doubt Ravenclaw could hold your attention for long. There is always Slytherin, which you would do great in. Oh the things that you would do there…" No, she had to be in Gryffindor. Maybe it was because her aunt had just died, the aunt she had protected and taken care of for years, that she felt for the four boys looking hopefully at her. Somewhere deep inside of her she felt as if she had to protect them. They needed her. More importantly she might, maybe, slightly, need them in return. She had to have something to protect and for once it might be nice to have someone love her back for it. She had to be in Gryffindor. She could always take care of the Slytherins later, after she had protected her boys and taught them enough so that they did not need her at all times. It had to be Gryffindor. It just had to be. "Well if you are sure…**GRYFFINDOR!"**

The applause she was given might have been the greatest thing Metallica ever heard. And Metallica McLeod had heard lots of things in her lifetime.

[S][t][a][r][t]

…**most of that was ****not **** in the plan at all, but I think this way is better. There are secrets that deal with the original Harry Potter ( this does take place long after the last book after all) characters and ones that deal with Metallica. I like this story and hopefully all you people who stumble across this do too.**


	3. Howler and World War Three

I'm wondering if anyone can see relevancies behind some of the character names? 'Cause there are a few and I wonder if they are kind of obvious. Besides my liking Metallica and Aerosmith that is.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own Aerosmith (the bat, the bat I say! Not the other one…*tear*)**

Like most people of limited money, Metallica never had a much when it came to large quantities of food. Thanksgiving was not a tradition celebrated in her house and her trailer/house had never experienced a Christmas dinner, so it was perfectly understandable that Metallica's eyes were bulging out of her skull when she saw the large amounts of food that appeared on the tables after the Headmaster had finished his speech. Her friends thought it best not to question her and instead gorged themselves on food.

"Are we going to eat like this every night?" She asked softly.

The triplets looked at each other before turning to each her. "Are you okay?"

That brought her out of her daze. She shook her head and gave them a sharp look. "Forget it. So we going to the…dorms or whatever after this?"

"Yes we are." A boy wearing a badge sitting two people down from her on the other side of the table answered. "I am the prefect and will be showing you to the dorms." He stuck out his. "I am Scott Gray. I shall be happy to show you around should you have any questions." Metallica narrowed her eyes. _Damn that headmaster. _Scott Gray was obviously one who prided himself on being perfect, helping out people who 'needed' to be helped and he like to be that person that people owed a debt of gratitude to. Since the headmaster's little speech, Metallica had become one of those people who 'needed' help. His hand was still out in an offering and she gave it a dirty look.

Metallica pointedly turned towards her friends without a word to Scott. He finally realized that she was not going to shake his hand and he withdrew it slightly annoyed. That made her very happy indeed. "I take it classes start first thing tomorrow."

Trevor nodded his head, speaking before Scott could. "Yep, potions first thing. It's going to be very tough."

"Why's that?"

All the Gryffindors surrounding her gaped at her as if she had grown a second head. "Are you joking? Potions has always been ruled by Slytherin. No one save Slytherins make it out of that class alive without losing points."

"Points?"

"Are you that daft?" A girl with frizzy hair snapped at Metallica. "Every house gets points for doing good things and points taken away for bad things." _Nice vocabulary there girly. _"At the end of the second term the house with the most points gets the house cup. Do they not have points in the American magic schools?"

Metallica decided the girl was an idiot. "I'm a first year. Never been to a school for magic ya see?"

"Well you should still know."

For the rest of the evening Metallica fought the urge to punch the girl and send her to the nurse…er…infirmary.

[S][t][a][r][s]

The first years talked amongst themselves as they were led to the Gryffindor tower. The other students rolled their eyes at their mutterings and swept past. Metallica wished that Scott would get the clue and do it as well instead of invading her space by walking right beside her. Every time one of her boys would ask a question directed to their group and their group alone, Scott would have to get in the middle of it.

"Oh no, all the towers are separated into different corners of the school. You would be hard pressed to find them without a friend in each one, which is near impossible to do." This perked her interest.

"What do you mean 'impossible'?" She asked. The girl with frizzy hair behind her giggled. Metallica whipped around to face her. "Are you done?" The girl stared at her in surprise. "I'm about ready to send you flying if you don't get off my back about every little thing I say when I'm not even frickin' talking to you."

The girl stomped her foot. "We are not allowed to use magic on each _other." _She stretched the words out in an annoying voice that made Metallica want to hit her even harder.

"I never said anything about magic you stupid idiot." Not one of her better lines but it got the point across nonetheless. The girl backed up and Metallica gave her attention back to Scott who looked as if in shock. "So what were ya saying?"

"Well it's impossible to get into the other towers because you can only go in if you have a friend in that tower who takes you there."

"What's so hard about that?" _For other people._

Everyone stared at her again. She thought it was getting rather old. "Well you see, there is not much communications between houses. Everyone stays to their house most often than not."

"That's not true!" Trevor piped up. Scott glared at him and Trevor instantly shrunk back. "What I mean to say, that is, my grandfather said that in his day many people had friends in different houses. My grandmother was in a Ravenclaw and he was in Gryffindor but they still, um, were friends, and um, got married…"

Metallica knew what Scott was going to say before he said it. "That was in his day, this our day." By now they had all reached a small hallway-corridor- with a large portrait of a fat lady in a bright pink dress sipping-more like slurping-wine from a large glass. It was then that Metallica saw all the portraits were moving. The things covered the walls and they were all moving. Metallica, along with her other muggle born housemates, were slightly amazed by this. In a slurred voice the fat lady asked for the password. "_Griffin_" With a happy hiccup the portrait swung open and everyone poured inside. The first years were pushed back as everyone else struggled to get in all at once. "One at a time please, one at a time!" Scott cried.

Taurus rolled his eyes and whispered to his friends. "Does he really think that will make a difference? As if anyone would listen to him."

"Shut up ferret." An angry voiced said behind them. They all turned to face Brutus and his friend. "You aren't even supposed to be here. This is not your place."

Taurus scrunched up his face. "Says the weasel. Shouldn't you be under ground somewhere? By the look of things who have already taken a poke at the grounds." Brutus's face went beet red. "'Sides, this is my place. After all, _my_ grandmother-"

Without a thought and without a hesitation Brutus flung himself after Taurus. They both fell to the ground in a heap, throwing punches at each other. "She-" punch, "is not-" punch, "your-" punch, "grandmother!" Brutus yelled at his opponent.

Taurus kicked Brutus off of him, sending the red head across the floor without much effort. "I think my dad would beg to differ, after all he is-"

"SHUT YOUR BLOODY MOUTH!" Brutus and another red head yelled. The other red head was much older, most likely third year, and taller with well-defined muscles. Metallica might have thought he was cute if it wasn't for the fact that he was yelling at her friend.

The third year grabbed Taurus by the cuff. "Don't you dare say anything you prat. I don't want to hear one word out of you." Three more red heads gathered behind him, Potter alongside them. "Don't you dare claim anything you might live to regret."

Only Trevor looked frightened. Herms looked slightly shaken, but only Metallica could tell. His brothers were too preoccupied with other matters. Taurus looked his eyes with the red head. "The only thing I regret is you and your lot." Metallica did not know whether to be proud or to groan. Out of everyone, Taurus and his big mouth were going to cause her the most trouble, Trevor and his nerves following closely behind. The red head went, well, red and stretched his fist back. Before he could make contact Metallica grabbed him, kicked Taurus out of his hand, and flipped the red head to the ground. He looked surprised that a small girl years younger than he could do that within seconds without a struggle. Some of the Gryffindors laughed at him, but they all stopped when they saw the look on his face.

"Look you, don't stick your nose where it does not belong." He growled at her. To everyone else he looked very threatening and everyone that was not Metallica took a step back. She was just amazed that he did not use the word mudblood. Apparently he had some originality in him. "Mudblood." Or not. His family member gasped at him. They had not expected him to use a word such as that against anyone.

Metallica crossed her arms across her chest with a disappointed sigh. "Seems as if no one has anything better to say around here but 'mudblood'." The Malfoys quickly glanced down at the ground in shame. "But really, it doesn't matter. I'm not the big guy who just got flipped by a first year girl." She whipped around, grabbed her friends by their collars, and half dragged them into the red and gold Gryffindor common room. She didn't have a chance to admire the homey looking room with its large fireplace. Too many things cluttered her mind. One thing was clear: the boys would need her.

[W][I][n][g][s]

Metallica woke the next morning her large canopy bed to the noise of a clicking sound coming from the frosted window by her bed. Groaning she climbed out her warm, comfortable, inventing bed and made her way to the window. Still half asleep she opened the window and took a step back as a brown barn owl flew in. Her eyes blinked a few times at the sight of the owl staring at her.

"What, I don't got nothing." She left the owl where it was, sure it was one of her roommates' owl and started to get dressed. The owl hooted at her and followed her around. "Get lost, I don't have any food." The owl ignored her and continued to follow her. Aerosmith eyed the owl with distaste. "OW!" The owl took a nip at her toes. "What was that for?" This set Aerosmith of and he went after the owl. It hooted and flew up, attacking Metallica's head. "HEY! STOP IT!" By now the three girls she shared the room had woken up and were taking in the vision of a bat and owl fighting over her head. "Whose owl is this?"

"Not mine." They all said together.

"Well don't help me or anything, ya know, while this little battle over my head is going on, I'll just bleed in peace." Nicole took out her tan colored wand and flicked a small ball of light at the fighting animals. "Thank you."

"It's okay. Hey," she said with a look at the owl's leg, "it's got a message." She took the little parchment from its leg and handed it to Metallica.

"You got to be kidding me." She groaned.

"What does it say?"

"Itsmine."

"What?"

"The frickin' bird is mine." Nicole gave her a pity look. It was not a look that Metallica liked but since Nicole had just ended a bloody battled fought over her head, Metallica decided to let it pass. This time. "Some fool of a friend gave it to me." She was going to hurt Trevor when he got up. Hurt him very badly.

[L][I][g][h][t]

Although she was up hours before they were, the boys beat Metallica to the grand hall for breakfast. She should have known; boys and food. They were all eating peacefully as she walked in, giving her a smile as she came to them and Trevor was grinning like an idiot. Okay, she couldn't hurt them. Too badly. _Stupid puppy look. _

"Morning Metallica, sleep well?" He asked eagerly.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid puppy. _"Fine, just fine. Had a nice battle going on."

"Erm, what?"

She plopped down by Aries with a sigh. "Well Aerosmith, my two headed bat and this owl decided that the space above my head was a good battle ground."

Trevor dropped his spoon. Aries and his brothers gave her a odd look. "Two headed bat?"

"Aerosmith?"

"I'm so sorry Metallica, I did not know, I thought-" Metallica raised her hand to stop Trevor.

"It's fine, I'm over it. Sides, it's a cute owl." Even though it was true, she only added the cute part to raise Trevor's spirits up again. _Stupid puppy. _"Thanks."

He really did look like a puppy wagging its tail. "Oh you are welcome. My grandma has taken to raising owls since she retired and she's always got some to spare. She's asked me to find homes for some of them and I figured you would like an owl. I did not know you had a bat-"

"Two headed bat." Taurus added, holding up to fingers to get his point across.

"But every witch and wizard showed have an owl. That way you can keep in touch with your family."

Metallica fought the cold feeling sinking into her body. "My family's dead." _Well, except for one who I don't know and would rather kill than call family._

Trevor's face fell. "I…sorry…I didn't know."

She did not like pity. She stood up. "Forget about it and don't mention it, really don't mention it. I don't eat breakfast so I'm going to head to potions now." She started to walk away.

"Wait," the boys started to scramble, "we are coming with you."

Just like she thought, they were stuck to her like glue.

[P][o][t][I][o][n][s]

Hogwarts was a bright and cheery place. The sun trickled throughout the corridors, lighting up the windows. Everything was so bright and well lit. The dungeons where the potion class was wasn't so bright and cheerful. In fact it was downright dank. It was dark, gloomy, and depressing. Metallica loved it. She and the boys were greeted at the door with a horde of green and silver.

"Better get used to it I suppose." Herms told them. "They tend to put Gryffindor and Slytherin together the most. We are more able to deal with them than the other houses are."

"Defiantly more than Hufflepuff is anyway." Aries said and everyone laughed. Trevor gulped, remembering how close he had come to being in Hufflepuff. While his nerves would have been so much better in Hufflepuff, Metallica did not think he would have done there too well. Something about him was stronger than he let on and she had the feeling that he did have a strong will about him. Too strong for Hufflepuff, but nowhere near Metallica's level. Then again, who did?

Another Gryffindor came up behind them. If Metallica remembered correctly, which she usually did, his name was Samson Finnigus. He was tall and had crew cut brown hair. She had a hard time placing him as Scottish or Irish with his accent, but she knew she liked it. "Where's the professor?" The Slytherins sneered at him, laughing as if he had said something funny. He rolled his brown eyes and focused on his housemates. "Rotten luck it is, being put with this lot." They agreed and the boys started chatting with Samson about some game named Quidditch. While she was not sure what that was, she was not about to ask in front of a group of Slytherins. She did not feel like being in a fight that early in the morning. Soon more Gryffindors showed up and the Slytherins backed away from them. "They act as though we are diseased." Samson complained.

"Eh, don't worry about them mate," Aires told him, "they're just Slytherins."

"They?" Brutus hissed at him. "You're a Slytherin. Don't think you are fooling anyone. You belong in Slytherin, not in Gryffindor. You're not brave enough." A couple of Slytherins laughed at the sight of two Gryffindors fighting. Brutus took a step closer towards Aires. "Don't think just because of what your granda did-"

"Don't you mean what our-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT YOU GIT!" Brutus yelled, not noticing the shadowy figure standing behind him. "I swear I will hex you-"

"Is that so Mister Weasley?" Brutus jumped at the dark voice. Metallica grinned at the image of Verbatim hovering over the frightened red head. He was dressed just as Metallica remembered him; head to toe in black. All the Gryffindors, and a few Slytherins, seemed to be frightened by him. He looked perfectly harmless to Metallica, but then she _did_ know him and she had seen far scarier things than Verbatim. "Threatening another student, hmm… I do believe that shall cost you ten points." He said coolly and Brutus gulped. Many Gryffindors shot ice cold daggers at him and the Slytherins clapped. "What are you all staring at? Into the classroom." They all rushed into the classroom, Verbatim on their tails. Metallica pretended not to be hurt by his lack of interest in seeing her.

The classroom was dark and gloomy, much as it had been on the outside, and there were tables lined in neat little rows. The tables sat only two and everyone hurried to find a seat with their friend. Not looking for any conflict for her friends in the class, Metallica made sure that Aries sat with Taurus and Herms sat with Trevor. The only problem was with who she sat with. All the Gryffindors had partners already. There was only one seat left and the boy sitting there did not seem happy to see her at all.

"Miss McLeod, please take the seat next to Mr. Zabini instead of standing there looking like a fish out of water." Verbatim said dryly. The Slytherins laughed and Metallica's friends glared at him. Metallica would have too, but she knew what it was about. In term they did not know each other. Once term was over, they knew each other. Perfectly logical. Slightly annoying. Metallica sat down on the bench beside Angelo Zabini, not caring that he hurriedly scooted away from her. The whole 'mudblood' thing was getting to be a thorn in her side. Once she had sat down, Verbatim started his speech. "This class shall be the most important and the most difficult you shall have as long as live." Metallica thought this was a great way to start a class. Frighten half your students. Great, just great. Trevor was already starting to hyperventilate. "There shall be no wand waving and no quick fixes in this class. You shall do your potions correctly each and every time. Every re-do shall cost you points and I will not hesitate to take them, am I understood?" The classroom nodded gravely. "Than let us discuss tonight's homework…"

[S][e][c][r][e][t][s]

"Homework on the first day! Can you imagine it?" Trevor complained to his friend as they walked up the tower to their transformation class.

Aries shook his head in frustration. "We don't have to imagine it mate, we were there. And it would be nice if you did not remind us of it. My head's still reeling from that lecture." He cupped his head in one hand.

Herms struggled to hold onto his books. "I don't think it was too bad. Pretty simple if you ask me."

"Simple? Simple?" Aires half yelled at his brother. "You call that simple? Blimly, and I thought we were triplets."

Taurus, who had not been paying much attention to his brothers and friends, suddenly stopped. He grabbed Aries by the shoulder and pulled him close. "Look who it is with no professor in sight to save them." Brutus and William were walking, heads huddled together, not noticing the group of people looking at them. It did not take a genius like Metallica to see where this was going. Taurus smirked evilly. "Let's have some fun, shall we?" Aries grinned and nodded. They started towards the pair, the other three following only because they did not want their friends to be caught and, well, to see the action of course. "Oy, Weasel!" Brutus and his cousin snapped their heads in Taurus's direction. "Care to finish what we started earlier now that your brother and the professor are gone?"

"Back off Malfoy." William said, his body tense. He did not look tough at all and Metallica pitied him because he must have thought that he looked like he did. "You do not want to mess with us."

"Why not, seems fun."

"Need your lot to protect you do you?" Brutus said through gritted teeth.

Metallica huffed. "What you talking about? Aries and Taurus are the ones looking for a fight, we're just here to warn ya if a teach passes by. And to watch you get bloodied."

Brutus glared at her. "Like I would believe you. You cast in with this lot, that makes you the enemy."

All four boys tensed up. "Don't talk to her like that."

"I'll talk to her however I bloody well feel like it."

"Are you guy gonna fight or what?" Metallica asked in a bored time.

"Sod off."

"Fine, just looks like you're stallin' if ya ask me."

"Well I didn't so sod off."

Metallica leaned against the stone stairway. "What does 'sod off' mean in British?" She asked Herms, her eyes on Brutus.

Brutus, having forgotten about Taurus and Aries completely stomped over to her. "You have a big mouth, you know that?"

"Well yea, I'm the one that speaks out of it."

"Think you're so clever do you? Well you're just a big pile of rubbish as far as everyone is concerned. Just some pity case Hogwarts took in."

Something flashed across Metallica's eyes. She leaned in close to Brutus's face and lowered her voice. "I'm not the one angry about something that happened a long time ago." His face went beet red and Metallica leaned back, her mission accomplished. "Taurus, Aries, are ya'll done or not? I would really like to get to class on time. The professor is supposed to be the brightest witch of her age. Should learn a lot." The boys followed her up the stairs leaving behind a very angry red head and his friend.

When they reached the classroom door the Malfoy triplets hesitated. As much as they wanted to go in, they just couldn't. Metallica recognized the look on their faces and she sighed. Her 'boy's were more like girls than she was. Honestly, she was starting to feel like a mother hen to each and every single one of them. _Not that I would change that__…_

"You're gonna have to go in some time ya know. She is the professor." She told them, searching for the right words. "I'm sure she's waiting for _everyone_ to come in. Probably has been waiting a long time for _everyone_ to come so she can she them." Not exactly what she was looking for, but hey, she was a little wiped out with all the drama going on.

They narrowed their different colored eyes at her suspiciously. "You know something don't you?" They asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and Trevor looked sheepish. "As much as anyone who isn't directly effected by it knows. Not sure what to believe, after all, the only ones who talk about it aren't the ones who were involved. Can't believe second hand accounts can ya?" The boys took it as it was, happy she wasn't going to ask questions-_yet-_ and strutted it the classroom. That is, until they saw her and then they quickly shuffled to the back left corner by the bookshelves. Although the professor tried to appear as if she was not looking at anyone in particular, it was obvious to Metallica that she was watching the Malfoys out of the corner of her eye. "Minor improvements." She said to herself, walking in after Trevor and taking the table next to the triplets. As people started to trickle in, Metallica noted the landscape of the room. It was a tower and high up so there were large windows, bay windows in the middle, at the front of the room, the teacher's desk in front of them. Bookshelves lined the corners of the room, packed tight with numerous odd shaped, odd colored books, and other various objects. Tables with actual chairs went from the door to a few feet from the professor's desk. The tables were enough for three people and Metallica wondered who would be sitting with Trevor and her. Luck, so it seemed, was not with her and Angelo Zabini was the one to sit with them. She might have pointed out that there were other tables, Slytherin tables, that were still empty, but she was little too annoyed to speak. She did not like sitting with him in potions and did not need him giving her or her friends a hard time in this class. He seemed to read her thoughts and was in the process of moving when every seat was taken and the professor started to speak.

"Hello, I am Professor Weasley, head of Gryffindor," here she paused for the loud outburst of applause from the Gryffindor students, "and I am the transformation professor. Now I understand that this is your first day here at Hogwarts and so I will not be giving any-" applauses from all students roared throughout the tower, "tonight." That seemed ominous to Metallica. Very, very ominous. "Instead I would prefer to begin this class by making it clear that while I may be the transformation professor I would be happy to help in any subject you have, my door is always open to those who seek it." Metallica sensed a hidden message in that little speech and she hoped her little idiots heard it otherwise it would make everything so much more difficult. "Now that I have said that, we shall begin." She softly tapped her wand to her desk and it transformed to a roaring male lion. The class scream-except Metallica- screamed and jumped back. With another tap she changed it back. "Let's see how long it takes you to be up to pare for that little spell." Her eyes shone with a dare and every student took it on. The first years whipped out their wands, ready for instructions. Professor Weasley grinned with some sort of hidden humor. She twirled her wand in the air and boxes of matches appeared on every table. "Turn these matches into needles if you please." A collective groan echoed and the professor laughed.

By the end of the day only Metallica had been able transform her matches into needles, and on the first time as well. Herms got his to turn halfway into a needle and could not get in any further. Trevor sent his flying across the room and Angelo made his float a few inches off the table. Taurus, who was eager to get to turning things into lions, put so much force into changing his match that it turned into fifty matches and they flew all over the classroom. His face went slightly red and the class laughed.

"It's okay dear," Professor Weasley said, putting her hands on his shoulders, "you seemed to have mastered the next spell I was going to teach you." Taurus radiated pride. Brutus glared at him and, without paying much attention, his match burst into flame. "Oh dear, here, let me help you." It was Brutus's turn to smile and Taurus to glare.

"Teach has got her work cut out for her." Metallica whispered to Trevor.

"You think?"

[A][n][g][e][r]

"Magic History was brutal," Aries groaned as they sat down at their table in the great hall for dinner, "I couldn't help but to fall asleep."

"You're not the only one." Taurus agreed. He glanced at his youngest brother. "Herms, if you so much as say one word about it I swear I shall jinx you." Herms raised his hands in innocence.

"At least we don't have to go to it tomorrow." Metallica said. As much as she loved history, being taught by a ghost older than time was not her idea of fun. She started piling food on her plate, completely worn out by the long day they had. "I'm just glad I have my potions homework finished."

"WHAT!" The boys yelled at her.

"How did you manage that?" Trevor asked. "We haven't had a break all day."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Did it while in History. All the professor did was quote the book line by line and I've already read it three times so I did my essay for potions."

Aries slammed his head down. "Well you could have done ours!"

"Ah, the big Malfoy can't do his homework Willy. He needs his girlfriend to do it for him." Everyone groaned as Brutus and William sat down beside them.

"Can't you just sod off and leave us in peace for once?" Aries asked through muffle tones, his head buried in the table.

"After all the trouble you have caused us today? No, I don't think I can."

Metallica pulled apart her bread, bored with where this was leading. "And here I thought we were having so much fun."

Brutus glared at her. "Who do you think you are? No one asked you to join in."  
"Well when you mess with my friends you sort of invite me in and I'm not one to miss a party."

Taurus took a drink of his pumpkin juice. "Can we just call a truce for tonight?"

"No."

"It's your funeral then." He put his goblet down.

"What makes you say that?"

"The howler."

"What howler-oh no." A red envelope was dropped down in front of Brutus. The Gryffindors on the other side of the table near Metallica, Trevor, and Herms backed up.

"Why would she send me one of these? I didn't do anything…oh wait…"

Metallica cocked her head to the side. "What's that?"

Taurus winked at her. "You'll see."

The red envelope lifted into the air, undoing its flap. Brutus coward in his seat, his face going red in embarrassment.

"**BRUTUS RONALD WEASELY!" **It screamed.

"Ronald, it explains so much." Taurus said to no one in particular. Brutus sent him a warning look.

"**IN A FIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY! HOW DARE YOU! YOU PROMISED ME YOUNG MAN THAT YOU WOULD NOT CAUSE PROMBLEMS OVER THAT SILLY LITTLE FEUD-"**

"_**SILLY LITTLE FEUD?"**_Another voice cut in, this voice male. **"THIS IS NOT SOME SILLY LITTLE FEUD! HE HAD EVERY RIGHT TO ACT AS HE DID!"**

"**DAD! THIS IS MY SON, NOT YOURS, SO LET ME HANDLE IT! AND IT IS A SILLY LITTLE FEUD AND YOU KNOW IT!"**

"**HE IS MY SON, HE'S MY GRANDSON SO I DO HAVE SOME SAY IN THIS! AND YOU DID'NT THINK IT WAS SUCH A SILLY FUED A FEW YEARS BACK!"**

All the students in the great hall leaned in to hear what the holler was saying, preparing themselves to laugh at Brutus once it was all over. **"THAT WAS BEFORE I HAD A SON WHO GOT INTO A FIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY! I SWEAR HE IS JUST LIKE YOU!"**

"**AND IS THAT SUCH A BAD THING? THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT ON GIVING MY NAME FOR HIS MIDDLE NAME! AND I DID NOT GET INTO A FIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY!"  
"NEVER?"**

"**NEVER!"  
"LIAR!" **Sounds of stuff being thrown came from the howler and it was hard for people not to laugh. **"WHAT ABOUT THE WOMPING WILLOW YOU AND UNCLE HAD IN YOUR SECOND YEAR? OR YOUR THIRD AND SIXTH YEAR? HUH, WHAT ABOUT THOSE FIRST DAYS?"**

"**I NEVER GOT IN A FIGHT ON THE FIRST DAY OF TERM EVER! THE WOMPING WILLOW TRIED TO KILL ME AND YOUR UNCLE, THE DEMENTOR TRIED TO GET HIM OUR THIRD YEAR, AND SIXTH YEAR WAS YOUR UNCLE ALONE AND IT WASN'T EVEN A FIGHT!"  
"THEN YOU SEE MY PROBLEM HERE!"**

"**NO, NOT REALLY!"**

"**YOUR IMPOSSIBLE!"**

"**AND YOU ARE SO MUCH LIKE YOUR MOTHER IT HURTS!" **Silence followed that statement. The triplets looked back and forth between the howler, Brutus, and Professor Weasley. Professor Weasley had been watching the howler with both tears and laughs, but that last statement drained her and she turned ghastly pale.

The howler turned back to Brutus. **"UM…HAVE A GOOD YEAR DEAR AND FOR GOODNESS SAKE, NO MORE BLOODY FIGHT!"**

"**ROSE! YOU CAN'T SAY BLOODY IN A HOWLER!"**

"**OH SOD OFF AND YOU SAID IT AS WELL!"  
"WELL…WELL THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT!" **That part of the howler must have sensed that it had lost the argument because it quickly finished up what it was saying. **"GOOD JOB IN GETTING INTO GRYFFINDOR BRUTUS, YOU ARE A WEASLEY THROUGH AND THROUGH! AND YOU TOO WILL," **people glanced at Will, who then turned red himself, **"YOUR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS ARE SO PROUD OF YOU. SEE YOU BOTH AT CHRISTMAS!" **With that said the howler tore itself up. The great hall burst into laughter and Brutus looked as though he wanted to disappear. When at long last the laughter dialed down and everyone went back to eating, Taurus clasped Brutus on the shoulder.

"You know, you make it so hard to hate you sometimes." Taurus laughed. Brutus lounged at him and it was World War Three throughout the Gryffindor table. Metallica snuck a glance at Professor Weasley. Her face looked said and happy at the same time, all mixed up with raw emotions that did not know where to go or how to deal. It did not look like it was a new battle for her, but rather a old one that she had given up on fighting. It was hard not to feel bad for her. Metallica took a sip of her pumpkin juice. Well, it was only the first day and already the year was proving to be very interesting. And far different then she thought it was going to be. She took another sip, thinking things over and over in her.

[M][e][e][t][I][n][g][s]

Ten cloaked figures sat side by side, eyeing the darkness that swirled around them. Only a faint glow, smaller than a coin, pertained the thick veil of darkness that lurked around their circle.

"Still doubt that she is the one?"

"We shall see, we shall see."

**It keeps changing! Argg…If it seems as if I am wragging on the Potters and Weasleys, I don't mean to. Right now that's how it is, later on you'll see what's going on and don't worry, I love the Weasleys and they are the good guys! :]**


	4. Walk About

**YAY! I HAVE REVIEWS, THANK YOU. **

**Disclaimer: I claim only Metallica and Aerosmith (again, not the bands…*sob*)**

Due to the mass destruction the Gryffindors had caused during their little war, they were all put on dorm arrest. That is, besides Metallica who had had the sense not to join in World War III as she so lovingly named the fight. It had earned her quite a few dirty looks from her housemates when she left the dorm, trying hard not to skip, as they were forced to stay. Not an inch of her felt guilty about. Well, not hugely guilty. If it had not been for Trevor and her other boys she would not have felt a thing about it. _Stupid, stupid puppy looks. _Someone flung a jinx at her as she closed the portrait. Metallica was fairly certain a frizzy haired beast was involved with it. _I'm gonna have fun with that one later._ It was not Metallica's fault that she was leaving when they all were under dorm arrest- the term still sounded funny to her- though she had to admit that she probably would have left even if it were not required at the moment. Hey, she could not help if she did not like crowds. However, she might have wanted to stay with all the loud, accusing, idiots rather than brave the walk to the Headmaster's office all by herself. For a reason that she could not fathom the Headmaster wanted to see her. Well, okay, she could reason pretty much what it was about. Being an American and an orphan at Hogwarts was getting to be a great pain in the neck. At any point and time that she was not with her friends-which was hardly ever since none of the boys liked to leave her side-she was bombarded by question after question about America and why she talked so funny and so on. Enough was enough. Unfortunately no one seemed to think so.

"Well if it isn't the little American Mudblood." An acid voice said from her left. She turned her head slightly and groaned. _Slytherins. _Being caught in a corridor by oneself in the presence of older, male Slytherins was not such a fine thing when oneself was not a Slytherin. More importantly it was not good to be alone, younger, and a girl Gryffindor in the presence of older, bigger, male group of Slytherins. Not that the girl thing bothered Metallica a bit. She hated when people acted as if all girls were weak. She had been in enough fights with guys to prove that little statement wrong time and time again. Of course those had been _muggle _boys and not wizards who punch as well as shoot fireballs at her. The group of older boys stepped closer to her, all eyes on her small frame. They were a little off put that she did not take a step back, not so much as a flinch came from her. They looked at each other and at her, and then back at each other. She did not even blink.

"Is she broken?" One of the boys asked. By the look on their faces, they all had that same question on their minds. It was enough to make Metallica laugh evilly. Little fools did not know what they were up against. One boy, a number of heads taller than she, stepped in front of her. His brown eyes looked directly into her blue-green ones. They were blank, empty, devoid of life. Those eyes scared him, but with one word from his buddies he swung. And missed. Metallica ducked down just as he started to swing his left arm. She kicked his legs out from under him. Catching his left arm as it came down, she twisted it back, momentarily taking pleasure in his cry of pain before tossing him away. He went flying into a wall, crumbling to the floor. His friends looked at him. A few stepped away from her and the others glared at her. A boy with black hair whipped his wand out. The others more or less did the same, all staring intently at her.

She smiled mercilessly. "Good, I really wanted to have some fun tonight." A flash of green-blue sped towards and she kicked back onto a wall, using it to get enough force to jump above the orb. She deflected a bolt of yellow shot at her and countered with a water spell. It took out two of the seven boys, pinning them under walls of water. "So glad I took the time to study." The boys growled and sent spell after spell at her. With a flip she dodged them all and countered. The boys deflected them, one boy deflecting the spell onto another boy who ended up with tentacles as hands. With them momentarily distracted Metallica took the opportunity to run a sort way down the corridor. She was not going to run away from the fight, but she needed some space. When the boys noticed her disappearance she was far enough down the hall to do her spell. "_Sol."_ A great burst of orange energy shot down the hallway towards the boys. Cries of pains echoed its departure from her wand. The orange orb of energy burnt the skin of all it touched with great intensity and, with a loud bang, exploded. Eerie silence followed. Then loud groans echoed throughout the corridor. Metallica strutted over to them, twirling her wand in her hand with a large smirk plastered evilly over her face. The boys looked up at her with pain expressions on their faces. "Well boys, I think we have learned a valuable lesson here today. Thinking about hurting me, trying to touch me, fighting me, and anything else your small little brains can come up with will only cause pain for you." She gave a little laugh and turned her backs on them, walking away. She heard them struggle to stand and her smirk grew wider. "I wouldn't try that for a while, I put a small binding spell on ya'll. Don't know when it'll wear off." She looked at them over her shoulder. "I am a first year after all. Can't be expected to control my magic all the time." With that said she disappeared down the hall, the boys glaring at her back.

[M][i][n][d][][g][a][m][e][s]

It took Metallica little over an hour to find the headmaster's office. When she finally found the gold bird thing that _everyone_ told her to find she was peeved. For whatever reason the entire school expected her to know where the big gold thing was. Every time she would ask someone where the headmaster's place was all she got as a replay was "The big gold owl". Because she was supposed to know where that was, right? Wrong. There where about a hundred frickin' corridors and doors and only one gold owl. Talk about a needle in a haystack; try an owl in a castle. After searching for what seemed like forever to her, she found it, but then there was the password.

"Does every place in this school need a frickin' password?" She growled. The golden owl merely cocked its head to the side, looking at her innocently. "Don't give me that look, it's your fault. Every frickin' door needs a stupid password…" Normally it would have been fun for Metallica to guess the password. She was such a good judge of people that she knew what they would use as passwords for everything. When she was five or seven- she never remembered the years that she did things, only that they did happen- she was good at getting people's bank info. She learned how to hack into banks and steal money, only about ten or twenty dollars at a time so not to raise suspicion. But Aunt Anna found out and made her give up her small life of crime. The whipping she would have gotten would have been hell, but that was when Aunt Anna started getting sick and she did not have the energy to deal with the issue any further. Metallica suddenly knew the feeling. Ordinarily Metallica would have been into the office within seconds of reaching the gold statue and sitting in a large fluffy chair waiting for the headmaster to arrive if he was not already there or to start his speech about whatever he wanted her for if he was. Right now Metallica could not even muster the energy to think of a word at all that the headmaster would use for a password. It was as if her mind was jumbled up, a jungle of emotions and thoughts that clanged against each other like metal. Her head started to pound and she felt faint, her hand cupped her forehead as color fled from her face. Her feet, boxer feet strong from years of battle, began to sway and she slowly started to tumble backwards. It was then that she felt two strong-arms come out to grab her softly, steadying her against a warm body. When her feet were back firmly on the ground and strength started to creep back into her body, she turned to thank her savior, only to be stopped mid sentence. No one was there. The entire corridor was deserted. "Great, not only am I losing my strength, I'm also losin' my mind. Great, just great. Losin' my mind-" She turned to glare at the hooting gold owl as it started to move, revealing a doorway. "Losin' my mind, that's the frickin' password."

"Hoo." The owl replayed.

"Ya know, ordinarily that would tell me somethin' about the state and character of my principal-headmaster person, but I'm about ready to say that 'Losin' my mind' is a wizarding motto. Ain't no sane person ever been made a wizard. Ever." She stomped off into the office, the owl shutting itself behind her.

"Hoo."

[T][r][u][t][h][s]

"Metallica McLeod, I am so glad you could join me." His hand grandly gestured her towards a red velvet chair. "Please, please, no need to be shy. Take a seat if you will."

Metallica gave him what she had dubbed her weird out face. She was already sitting when he had noticed her, she had been glaring at her the entire time, and she had been order there in the first place. What was with the entire pretense? "I was ordered here ya know, not like I enjoyed coming and where the hell do ya get that I was shy? 'Metallica' and 'shy' ain't ever been two words that have been put in the same sentence before in any kinda way."

The headmaster chuckled. "Oh dear sweet Metallica-oops, I suppose those words have never been together before either have they?" He snorted, cracking up loudly, pounding his hand against the large wooden desk.

Metallica scrunched her legs together, uncomfortable or familiar with this oddness coming from an authority figure. "Think I'm starting to get the whole 'Losin' my mind' password now." The headmaster's pet- a large white tortoise with blue markings on the shell- snorted in agreement at her side.

Finally the headmaster stopped snorting long enough to look at Metallica. He cupped his withered hands together over his desk, his pale gray eyes staring purposely behind his thick, black-rimmed glasses. "Tell me, my dear, what do you think of this school? Have you noticed anything that is, say, a little bit off? A little bit cold? Unusual in anyway?"

Her head cocked to her side in confusion and suspicion. "I've been here a little bit over a day. That's not a hell of a lot of time to 'notice' anything."

"Ah, but you are one notice every little detail, are you not? Everything you see you categorize and lock away in some untouched dimension of your mind. Every movement, every glance, every word, every face, and every name is fixated in the corners of your mind. I believe you would have noticed everything there is in your new surroundings."

"And you want to know if I've noticed anything 'off'?" He nodded at her narrowed eyes. "You're asking an American muggle born girl if she's noticed anything off in England at wizarding school is full of moving pictures, magic wielding preteens and above, with a forest of mythical beasts, have I got that right?"

"Yes, yes you have."

"Okay then, let me repeat, I'm a American muggle born girl in England, in a wizarding school full of moving pictures, magic wielding preteens and above, with a forest of mythical beasts."

He leaned back in his chair, a glint gleaming in his eyes, and his hand feathered his long white beard. "Muggle born you say? Hm… I do suppose that answers my questions. I understand you found yourself in a bit of trouble on the way here." Metallica crossed her hands and arms, staring at him defiantly. "Care to explain?"

"They deserved it."

"Who did?"

"The upperclassmen-Slytherin boys- who thought they could jump me and win."

"And they deserved to be blasted with magic few remember and then bonded to the floor for an hour?"

"Thinking they could win against me earned them that and much more."  
"It was because of that reason and not that they tried to hurt you?" He looked at her quizzing, trying hard to understand her.

"Been hurt plenty of times, everyone has been, their only sin is thinking I'd lose against them."

He was silent-thinking-for a few moments before he spoke. "Tell me, Metallica McLeod, how did you know that spell you used against them?"

Metallica shifted uncomfortably. "Read it in a book somewhere."

"Then you must be a rich pure blood to have that type of book, the type of book to hold the elemental powers between it's pages." He studied her. "You are not one to squirm when caught in a lie, Metallica, why is that you do so now?"

"What do you want?"

"What do you make of the Malfoy and Weasley situation that we have here at Hogwarts?"

Metallica was not glad that he had so quickly changed subjects. It felt like a trap, and she did not like traps. "Why is she teaching here?"

"Who?"

"Hermione Weasley, originally Hermione Granger. I've read that she was the best Healing witch of her time and not half bad as an aura either. Why did she come here to teach?"

"When she believed that she had no place left to turn, she felt this was the best place for her and I accepted her as our new teacher. We where badly in need of one and she was, and always has been, the brightest witch of her age."

"She had to know that one day they would be here."

"Do you know why they fight about her?"

"Don't see how it matters."

"It is out of anger mostly, but also out of love."  
"I don't believe in love."

"Ah, but love is the oldest and most powerful of all magics."

"Don't believe in it."  
"No? But what about your mother? She gave birth to you, did she not? That is usually interpreted as love."

"That has nothing to do with me."

"But you are here because of it."  
"She gave birth to one child. Women have been doing that since the dawn of human time. Doesn't mean I owe her anything."

"She was young and scared, hurt beyond what many could ever believe, and rather than killing you she gave you life and a name. A name I have yet to understand, but there it is, and I have an odd feeling that it suits you somehow."

"What did you want me for?" _If he can change subjects, then so can I._

He thought for a moment. "I do believe I have entirely forgotten." Somewhere in Metallica's mind a song was playing and it started with 'Losin'' and ended with 'mind'. "What about your father-"

"Doesn't matter, don't care, don't think on it, don't have an opinion about it, will any of these be enough for you to drop it?"

"For now at least, and only because I have another matter for you."

"Finally."

"Which I shall save for another day. You may go."

_Another meeting with this nut? Ugh._

[S][e][c][r][e][t][s]

Metallica walked the corridors, pondering whether going back to the dorm would be a good thing or not when she was momentarily caught off guard by green and black._ Slytherin. _

"Well if it isn't the itty little Gryffindor Princess." A male voice sneered at her. She looked up at the-painfully-taller Slytherin. He was tall with blonde hair, a few shades darker than the twin's hair, with brown eyes, and a square jaw, what her aunt had always called a manly jaw. He was just a few, perhaps only three, years older than she and his voice had not yet fully deepened. Many girls would find him cute, so Metallica noticed, but she was not like many girls-any-and she had just been called 'princess'. Like red to bull, princess to Metallica was a fighting word. A large, flaming red with fireworks on it, battle to death, fighting word. His large hands wrapped around the columns, his torso blocking Metallica entrance into the courtyard. "Where are you off to in this dreary weather, princess?" Behind him lighting flashed.

"Seems perfect to me." Metallica smirked up at him.

He cocked his head, looking her up and down, a smirk that went up on one side of his face challenging her own. "Not yet, not yet…" _Whatever the hell that means._

"How long do you plan on staying in my way?"

He leaned down towards her. "As long as I like."

"You might want to move, now. Otherwise I might have to kick your ass."

"Hey you're American all right. Aren't you too young to start cussing?" He was enjoying this far too much for his own good.

"I'm from the backwoods of Georgia where there's not a whole hell a lot of parental supervision. Cussing more or less starts in the crib, where I take it is where you learned how to be a complete idiot." His eyes showed that he did not understand what she was saying. Sighing, Metallica kicked the boy down, hearing a slight crunch in his ankle as she stalked off. She started towards the Gryffindor tower, suddenly tired from the day's events, when she found the boy walking in pace beside her. "Didn't I just knock you down and possibly break your ankle?"

He looked down at his ankle and shrugged. "Probably. I don't feel pain."

"How nice for you."

"So anyway," He whipped around in front of her, once again blocking her path, "you that you're the top of everyone's conversations."

"Surprise surprise, American with an attitude attending Hogwarts, alert the media." She slipped past him.

"Hey, just figured you would want to know."

"No, not really."

"Some pretty interesting conversations too." He jumped on a wall, his long legs kicking the air, hindering her walking away from him. "Oh yes. Like the rumor that you are the reason your aunt died, your really name is something like 'Muffy' but you're too embarrassed so you had to change it, and something about really being-"

"Do I look like a Muffy to you?"

He looked down at her, a look in his eyes that she could not recognize, and a odd smirk plastered on his face. "No, I suppose not." He looked away towards the Quidditch field. "So what is the Gryffindor Princess up to today?"

"Since you can't feel pain, I'm gana warn ya, callin' me princess will get you killed. And I'm going to my dorm. I've been jumped by enough of you freaks today and I don't feel like dealing with any more of ya." She started walking away.

"Want to see something?" She looked back at him. "I promise it'll be worth your wild."

[M][u][m][m][e][r][s]

Ten cloaked figures sat side by side, a glowing light penetrating the darkness.

"It keeps changing."

"Both the future and the present have been known to do such a thing."

**Sorry it was short, but I have to think on how this will go.**


	5. What You See, What You Hear

**So, it's been…a year? Hmm…yes…I believe so. It's been a year. Wow. And I still only have two reviews. Hmm…that just….sucks. Yeah, that sucks. :p Well, I'm back, and so is Metallica McLeod. Be afraid, very afraid.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. But I do own their grandkids! HAHA! TAKE THAT!**

Ordinarily Metallica would have smacked someone like the-very annoying- Slytherin into the ground, kicked them enough that they would have no dreams of moving for days, walk off, and would be done with the entire situation. Unfortunately Luke Sideheart was not one who could be smacked into the ground, beaten, and left alone for days. In fact, he proved to be just the opposite. Because when Metallica tried her normal trick, Sideheart did a very peculiar trick, one that Metallica had not yet had the pleasure of being victimized to. He picked her up. Metallica McLeod, too tough for anyone to mess with, who could not remember ever being carried by anyone, was picked up and thrown across a Slytherin's shoulder. A Slytherin's shoulder. Metallica was not pleased, not pleased at all.

[CI][R][C][U][M][S][T][A][N][C][E][S]

"For such a wild she-devil, I expected you to be much heavier. I think my little sister's cat weighs more than you." Sideheart cocked an eyebrow at her. "Then again, it is a fat cat. A very, very fat cat."

"As much as I love hearing about your sister's stupid frickin' cat, I'd appreciate it if you'd get your damn hands of me you stupid Slytherin." Metallica growled through clenched teeth. She was being touched. Metallica did not like being touched.

Her captor laughed. _No, he is not my captor,_ she corrected herself, _because I don't get captured. Not by anyone, not ever, and especially not by some egotistic pureblood/half-blood, whatever the hell he is._ "Relax princess; I'm not going to take advantage of you or anything."

Metallica's eyes stormed. "I'd kill you if you even-"

"Well, I'm not. Guess that means I live right?" Sideheart smirked at her. He had the face that could, quite possibly, make the entire female population swoon. Metallica glared.

"Maybe, I'm still deciding."

[L][O][S][T]

Trevor sighed, slowly sweeping the room back and forth on the common room's dark wood floor. The triplets shot him sympathetic glances and continued on with their cleaning. It didn't feel right, he told himself, not to have Metallica around. When she was around, Trevor did not have to feel so afraid of everything. He did not have to jump at every sound, bump, and person. He could relax a bit. Trevor had feared that he would not have made a single friend at Hogwarts; and he had reason to fear such a thing. Longbottoms had never been a popular sort of people, Dursleys less so, and being a product of both was not a thing that one could brag about. Quite the reverse actually. Granted, his grandfather Neville had been a friend of the Golden Trio and even a hero of the war, but he was still just a minor character in the grand scheme of things. Trevor had the underlining feeling that it was the curse of all Longbottoms and Dursleys to be forgotten, unneeded, and, the worst of all, unimportant. Perhaps that was the reason that Trevor had gravitated towards Metallica the way that he had. Something about her screamed adventure, meaning, and, above all, importance. Something about was different her, and it was not the fact that she was American. It was something deeper than that, he just did not have the words for it. Trevor was sure that the Malfoys felt the same way. They, in his mind, were looking for redemption, just as all Malfoys had since the end of the war. They no longer wanted to be evil villain in the story. They wanted something more, and in order to gain such a thing, they needed that redemption. For them, it lay somewhere with Metallica.

Of course, it helped matters that she was cute. But then, they were all too young to notice such a thing.

[B][O][I][L][I][N][G]

"Ah, I think that just about does it." Sideheart said, dropping Metallica to the ground. Metallica quickly twisted her body to land on her feet and palms-to which Sideheart made a reference to a cat- and whipped her wand out. She raised her wand only to have Sideheart point his pitch black wand at her, not bothering to glance at her. "I wouldn't try that if I was you, you might scare it off. And then what would be the point of having followed me out into the Forbidden Forest?"

"Me follow you?!" Metallica seethed. "You threw me over your shoulder and dragged me here! You-"

"You mean I captured Metallica McLeod and carried her all the way from the castle to the forest? I won against the famous tough girl?" Sideheart turned to face her, grinning. Metallica, perhaps for the first time in her entire life, was silenced. "Now," he raised a finger to his lips, "shush. It's coming."Metallica did as she was told-not because she wanted to know what 'it' was, mind you, she had no interest whatsoever in Sideheart's big secret, no, indeed she did not- and started planning all the evil things that she could do to this practically annoying person standing in front of her. Some broken bones, internal bleeding, and other such cases were looking practically good to her at the moment. Slowly she rose to her feet, arms crossed, eyes narrowed. No one ever got the jump on her. Not once in the history of mankind did such a thing happen to her. And now this person this…this Slytherin did what none had managed to do in eleven years? Not even adults had been able to do such a thing. Luke Sideheart unnerved her, a feeling that Metallica hadn't felt before. She wanted away from this person and away from him _now. _She took a step backwards and stopped just before her foot touched earth. Slowly, inch by inch, her mouth parted and widened. Her eyes lifted and her hands dropped to her side. The Sun was blocked out as a creature swooped down towards them, landing inches from Sideheart. It balanced on his hind legs, kicking the air, its wings blowing them away. Sideheart turned to the silent Metallica with a wide grin. "Metallica McLeod," he placed a hand on the creature, "meet Tor, king of the Pegasus." The great black pegasus reared into the air and gave a wild roar of power.

"King of the Pegasus?" Metallica questioned. "Why would the King of the Pegasus be here, at Hogwarts?"

Sideheart laughed. "Okay, so he's not the king. But," he patted Tor, "he is one of the many, many foals of the King. He's mother's not the Queen though, so…"

"Why are you showing him to me?" _Trick, trick, there's got to be a trick._ Metallica's eyes narrowed once again, this time in suspicion. Sideheart had gotten the better of her once, he wouldn't do it again.

He stared dumbfounded at her. "What? I show you a pegasus- a _black_ pegasus mind you- and you question why? Shouldn't you just be amazed that he's here?"

_Yes, but I'm not letting you change the subject here buddy._ "You gonna have him run me over or somethin'? Trample me ta death?"

"What? Seriously? Most girls would be swooning and-"

"I'm not like most girls."

"grateful- I know you aren't-and trying to pet Tor and you think I'm trying to kill you? When I show you a pegasus, a black pegasus-"

"And you're a Slytherin, an older Slytherin, who kidnapped me-"

"-I thought you'd be all- AH HA! So you admit I kidnapped you-"

"And swooning?" She glared at him and Sideheart instantly closed his mouth. "Do I look like a girl who swoons? Over anything, even a beautiful-" she stopped, blushing at the word she used, "-pegasus?" Tor neighed aggressively. "And why would you want me to, unless you're some type of pedophile? And yes, I admit you kidnapped me, which drags us back to the pedophile thing."

By this time Sideheart was quite red in the face. His fists were clenched at his side, shaking, and he looked very much like he wanted to punch something. Or _someone._ "First of all, I'm not that much older than you-"

"I don't care how old you are."

"STOP INTRUPPTING ME!" He yelled. His entire body was shaking now. _Apparently I've hit a nerve._ "I'm not a pedophile. You call me that again and I'll make sure your Yank ass does not wake up again." Metallica walked towards him until she was inches from his face.

"I'd like to see you try." She swirled around and stalked towards the castle, not looking back at the red face Slytherin.

Luke Sideheart waited a moment before throwing his head up and laughing ominously. "We will see, little princess, which one of us is truly the most powerful here." He called after her, his cackle following at her back on the long hike back to the castle. Metallica had a feeling that this was a very, very bad sign of things to come.

[D][I][S][T][U][R][E][B][E][D]

Safely back inside the walls of the castle, Metallica breathed a sigh of relief. Luke Sideheart got under her skin, and this was just a few moments of knowing him. Luckily Hogwarts was a large school-it was, after all, a castle- and Metallica expected that she would not again run into him. Hopefully, if for once in her life she had _any _luck at all.

She found herself wandering the corridors once again and stopped. A part of her wanted to go back to the Gryffindor dorms and relax with her friends, but a part of her was not yet ready to go back. Too many people inhabited the place. Metallica was defiantly not a crowd type person. Too many faces, too many voices, not enough reasons to stay. So she wandered some more, taking in all the sights of the castle. She went every which way, noting everything that she could. It was in this that she noticed something odd. Everyone was grouped. People weren't grouped by friends or cliques, they were grouped by houses. Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, all were in groups from their houses. There was no mix of the houses. Not a single Ravenclaw was with a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin. Hufflepuffs were with other Hufflepuffs and only other Hufflepuffs. Same for the Slytherins. It just seemed so…off. Like it was not how it was supposed to be. Hadn't the books on Hogwarts talked about the unity of the houses? What was with this grouping? More than anything Metallica noticed the looks given to her by the other houses as she walked alone through the crowds. The Hufflepuffs squeaked and ran away as she walked past; the Ravenclaws eyed her with suspicion; the Slytherins sneered at her. Suddenly she wished she wasn't the only Gryffindor free from dorm arrest.

But then she wished she was _still_ the only Gryffindor not on lock down when two rough hands grabbed her from behind and swung her around. Standing in front of her was a very, very angry Weasley. Brutus's older cousin- another bane on Metallica's life- glared down on her. Metallica crossed her arms and her eyes darkened. Luke Sideheart might be able to unsettle her, but this guy wasn't allowed.

"What do you want Weasley?" She asked venomously.

"I'm the one asking questions here little girl. What are you doing walking around the castle without another Gryffindor?" He growled. Metallica blinked. _Huh?_

"I don't see how that's any business of yours-" Metallica suddenly realized that she had never gotten his name, "what's your name?" _Damn, _she thought, _I'm having a rough day. I'm letting everything get under me._

He shook his head. "You battle with me and my cousins and yet you don't get my name? How exactly does that work to your advantage?"

"It works because I don't care about you, your cousin, or anything that revolves around you. Since I don't plan on calling your name, I don't exactly need it now do I?"

"Ramiro."

"Ramiro?"

"It's my name."

"Ramiro?"

"It means powerful in battle." It sounded like he was sulking. Like she was supposed to find it cool that his name was Ramiro and he was powerful in battle. _Really? Are all wizards this needy or just the ones I know?_ Metallica laughed. "What's so funny?"

"Powerful in battle? Dude, I've beaten you in battle. I don't think your name fits."She laughed and started to walk away when he grabbed her wrist.

"Don't walk alone around here. It isn't safe."

She stared at him. "I've survived one ambushing earlier today, I think I can take care of myself. Besides, it's a school, how bad could it be?"


	6. Games We Play

**What do ya'll think of the names of the characters? Quite a few have a meaning behind it. I'm starting a poll on what ya'll think their names mean or why I chose them. Starting…NOW!**

**P.S. Thank you to all my reviewers. I know I'm a pain for taking FOREVER between updates so thank you for putting up with me.**

**Disclaimer: I OWN…not Harry Potter. Crap…**

The first couple of weeks at Hogwarts quickly fell into a routine for Metallica and the boys. They woke up-the boys to the smell of food coming from the grand hall (how they smelled it from the hall to the dorms, Metallica never understood, she just chalked up to boys being boys); Metallica to the ongoing war of Aerosmith and the owl Disturbed (no one could argue with the name)-and walked to class with the occasional fight between them and Brutus and crew. Metallica avoided Sideheart at all cost, while making sure it appeared that she was not trying to do just that. The Headmaster continually called upon Metallica, continuously trying to pry information out of her. Information of what, she didn't know. She knew very little, in fact, about the Headmaster and what he wanted from her, although she knew it had something to do with her family-which was nonexistent- and about what was going on at Hogwarts. Metallica knew little about her family and was willing to share less then she knew, for very important reasons, and did not bother herself with much of what went on at Hogwarts. She was happy to do just this and planned on doing nothing more, until, that is, a curveball was thrown at her. And when it came speeding towards her full force she knew it had the Headmaster's handiwork all over it.

[A][s][s][i][g][n][m][e][n][t][s]

"Now for homework…" The ghost, Professor Hellson, droned on. Most of the class-Slytherins and Gryffindors respectfully- were asleep or playing games with friends, and none were playing attention to the wheezing ghost from Napoleon's era. It was not his fault solely for this, for decades the staff of Hogwarts believed a ghost was the only choice for teaching history, a philosophy that many wizarding schools had. In many aspects this theory may have been proven true, if only they did not keep choosing a ghost so close to the Fade. If he was extremely boring to his students, his _precious _students as he was known to call them to other ghosts he knew, it was because he did not have enough force to be anything other than boring. _If only they knew…_But alas, he needed their attention. The Headmaster had asked for this assignment, for reasons Hellson could only guess as to the reason, and wanted to make sure it was done by _all_ first year students. _Which means these breathers had better listen to me… _"Class…class….the…Headmaster wishes…for you to….write a paper…on….your family…..history…..starting from you…..and…..going…back…." The class groaned. Over half the class were purebloods, or had at least one pureblood parent. They could trace their family back to the dark ages at the minimum. That would make for a lot of paperwork of which none were willing to do. "Class….class…dismissed….."

"That's just great!" Taurus growled, slinging his book bag over his shoulder. Aries nodded in agreement beside him.

"What's wrong with it?" Trevor asked giving his friend an odd look. It didn't seem too bad of an assignment to him. He had been told the history of his family and over again by his grandfather's grandmother since birth. All he had to do was write down a story engraved in his head.

Taurus started at him dumbfounded. "Do you know how long that will take? The Malfoys go back farther than the Dark Ages! The DARK AGES! We will be writing this all night!"

"For once, I agree with my brother." Herms admitted solemnly. "One of the perks of having an old family I suppose. What about you Metallica? How long shall it take you? Metallica?" Metallica said nothing, her jaw locked tightly closed. Her eyes started straight ahead at nothing, a passionate fire blazing behind them. "Metallica?"

She glared at him. "Shut up."

[P][a][i][n]

On a good day Metallica was passable at potions. This day was not a good day. Her cauldron kept boiling over, green liquid oozing out of it. Metallica seethed at it, her green-blue eyes turning bloody red, not from tears, but from barley contained anger. The liquid spluttered at her, droplets dousing small parts of her arm, quickly turning into small, red cuts. A small burning sensation tingled beneath her skin, but she took no heed. Angelo merely stared at her with an unreadable expression. His cauldron, as always, was as far over as he could get it away from her. It also was green, but while hers was a dark slime green, his was a light, almost transparent green that swished serenely in its quarters.

"I think you added too much dragon root..." Angelo said his voice quiet and relaxed. It was the first time she had ever heard him utter a sound. She mused that perhaps his voice was so low that when he did speak, he was unheard under all the loud voices of their classmates. It was a nice voice and she wondered oddly if he would have a deep voice that was just as soothing when his voice changed, and then mentally slapped herself out of it.

"How do you know?" She snapped, the cuts growing in number on her arms, the burning sensation getting worse.

"Because dragon root is known to cause burning when used in great quantity." His voice was nicely controlled, which only served to infuriate her more.

"Does it look like I'm burning?"

He took her arm in his hands and she inwardly flinched. "Under those cuts, yes, you appear to be. See the bubbling on your skin?"

He was right; the cuts had begun to boil and burned worse than before. It made Metallica want to tear her flesh off. "So what if it does burn?" She tried to pull her arm away, but he held on tight-not too tight she noticed that it hurt-and pulled her arm tighter. He then took a gray cloth from his work area and dipped it into his cauldron. He took it out and began to dab at the cuts, the boiling and burning stopping instantly.

"Good thing we were making a small heath potion. It won't clear away the cuts but they should go away in a few days." He looked up at her, her face tangled with confusion, diffusing anger, and something else. "My elder sister Ileana works as a medical witch in Greece. I plan on writing about her in my paper."

Metallica half sneered at him. "Your parent's didn't make her marry another pureblood and start raising a litter of pureblood jerks?"

He did not betray an inch of emotion and continued to delicately dab at her cuts. "They did in fact, have her marry. Luckily enough, it was a love match as well as an arranged match. They met at a Tri Wizard Tournament years ago, not knowing that they were promised to each other, and fell in love. Our family was very happy when they learned of this and had them married straight away. Since Ileana's husband is a quidditch player and travels often, she was allowed to make her home in Greece and practices medicine when she is not expecting with child. They have five already, and most likely to have more." He looked up at her then, his eyes bearing into hers.

"Why are you bothering me with all of this?"

"Because if you are so keen on pretending to be one of us, living with us, and judging us, you might want to learn a little about our world before you go off and do something stupid."

"I'm getting sick of all these people who tell me how to be when I don't care about any of it! I'm not you and I don't want to be you! Get off my back already!" With that said she kicked their table and stalked off, slamming the classroom door behind her.

[A][n][g][e][r]

Metallica marched through the grounds, her hands balled into fists, holding her wand angrily in her hand.She was sure in this moment that she had never hated anyone as much as she hated the headmaster. It was obvious that the assignment was from him. Who else would care at all about her family? She didn't want to think about them, the ones who shared their blood with her, the people she was supposed to call mother and father, mommy and daddy, mom and dad, her _parents._ Metallica scoffed. She didn't have parents. Didn't need them. Didn't want them. So why should she think about them and the rest of her family? They weren't family; they were a past best forgotten. For years she had put up walls blocking them _out_ of her life. Now the headmaster wanted to put them back _in._ It was wrong. She lifted her wand and blasted a stone rock in half. It was wrong to make her think about them. To force her to do that. To allow those…people back into her mind. She blasted another rock. Wrong! What had they ever given her? Another rock destroyed. Nothing. They gave her nothing. A name that no one understood. A life no one should have. They left nothing but a child that no one wanted. Not even Aunt Anna had wanted her. Sure, she had taken in Metallica, but she hadn't wanted to. Metallica was a check in the mail. Someone to throw objects at when drunk. Yes, Aunt Anna had her good times, namely when she had gotten sick and decided that she wanted one person to think well of her when she left. That's when Aunt Anna had changed from the raging drunk to the concerned great aunt. Metallica had gone along with the game, acting as if Aunt Anna was the sweetest old there was. Well, she wasn't. In her final moments Metallica had been sweet, acting as if she wanted to make Aunt Anna proud, and Aunt Anna had played as well, acting as if she thought good of Metallica. A game is all it was. A game of lies. Those were the good memories. Metallica didn't want to look back towards the bad ones, and that was all her past was; bad memories. And this is what the headmaster wanted her to relive? Metallica blasted another rock, this time leaving nothing left. The headmaster was in for a treat, because Metallica was not going to play his game. No, she was not going to play his game at all.

[S][p][a][r][k][s]

The blue swirl lashed out, sending the cloaked figures flying back.

"It has changed again!"

"Because it is angry, and it is about to become much more enraged." The leader touched his hand to the chaotic mass, ignoring the flames that lit his hand.

"Why provoke it?"

"Because it must be done in order for it to succeed."

**Short I know but not a lot I could do for this chapter. Next one should be better I promise!**


	7. Afterlife

**This chapter will primarily be about all the original characters from the actual books. This chapter has been on my mind for a while which is why the last chapter was so short. They couldn't be combined. I'd like to hear your thoughts about it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't a person, especially not a person from **_**Harry Potter **_**since I don't own the books either.**

Draco Malfoy banged the glass down upon the table, spluttering vodka out of the cup. It was 9:30 in the morning and he was on his tenth glass of the day. Great. What would Astoria say? Better yet, what would Hermione say? Astoria was dead and gone, not a true loss for Draco, so who gave a flying piff about it? Not Draco Malfoy that was for damned sure. He didn't miss her, never even loved her. Granted she was a beautiful thing, even in her dying day. Sweet too. But there was nothing that Draco could recall about her that he had loved. Just an arranged marriage. Pureblood tradition. Draco huffed and downed some more of the muggle drink. Pureblood. Pure. Blood. That's what it boiled down to. Blood. The reason for the war. The reason for the cult. They were fools if thought Voldermort was the reason for the war. There reasons beyond him. Reasons far older than him. He was just the first of many. Draco drank some more. Blood. His tattoo hurt. Blood was the reason the damned thing was on his arm. Blood was the reason he hated her. Hermione Granger. No, Hermione Weasley. She was still Weasley's wasn't she? No, that had ended because of him. Hermione, brightest witch of her age had carried Draco Malfoy's seed. His devil spawn carried by a filthy mudblood. Hermione…how he hated that bloody mudblood. Or loved her. He never could remember. Probably because of the booze. Or probably not. Who gave a damn anyway? It was over and done with. She had given birth to his sons, twins Hector and Grendel. How she came to those names he never knew. Hadn't asked. Just took the two wailing babes and thrust them into Astoria's arm. Scorpius and Genevieve had been old enough to understand to the history of their two new brothers and had hated them from first sight. Well, at least Genevieve had. She shunned them and punished them when they were in sight. Scorpius, the more reserved child, had given them a wild berth at first, later to manage being civil and somewhat of a protector to them. Lot of good that did. Draco drank some more. Hector had grown up kind and good natured, following the light of his mother without the famous temper. Grendel grew up a monster. Hector found himself a good wife and died before his children were born. The mother died in childbirth and it was left to Draco to raise the triplets. Not that anyone was happy with that, but hell, they didn't have a grandmother to go to as Astoria had died, some said due to the stress of raising Draco's bastards, and Hermione hadn't laid eyes on Hector or Grendel in years. As always it fell to Draco to do the dirty work. Joy. Genevieve grew up snobbish and spoiled, marrying a French wizard and living in Paris. Scorpius owned banks in both the wizarding world and the muggle world. Needless to say he was quite rich. And boring. But then, all of Draco's children were boring. Except Grendel. He moved to the east and made quite a life for him and his family, quite a life… The grand old grandfather clock rang out and Draco wondered why he wasn't dead. Shouldn't he be? He should have died in the war. He should have been murdered by Weasley and Potter when Hermione had his children. The alcohol should have killed him by now. Why was he still alive? He had done what a Malfoy must: produce an heir, raise the family fortune up higher, and disgrace himself with minimum consequences. Not many people knew Hector and Grendel where his and Hermione's. Both Astoria and Hermione had kept themselves hidden for the ninth months that Hermione carried Hector and Grendel. So when they reappeared people assumed Astoria had given birth and the breakup of the Weasley marriage had to do with a miscarriage that Hermione had and the couple's inability to move past it. Draco had fulfilled his family's legacy. So why was he still alive?

[P][a][s][t]

Rose Weasley-soon to be Rose Thompson- glanced at her slumbering father as she washed the dishes the muggle way. Ron Weasley hadn't changed much of the years. His hair was still red. He was still muscular and tall. Still loud and messy. Still thickheaded and stubborn. There were wrinkles in his face that hadn't been there before. Pains that weren't felt before. A blurriness in his eyes unnoticeable before. But still Ronald Weasley. Still in love with his friend Hermione Granger, Hermione _Weasley._ Rose knew that her father still loved her mother. After all, he never looked at another woman, not even after her mother's betrayal. He still loved and wanted her back. But he was so stubborn. He would never go ask for Hermione to come back. She would have to do it. Which, in Rose's opinion, was only right. Her mother had dealt the blow; it was only fair that she should be the one to come crawling back.

Her mother's betrayal wasn't only to her father, it was also to Hugo and Rose. Hermione had broken up their family. She had children by a man that was not their father. She gave birth to those monsters and left. Rose still felt anger towards her mother and lamented growing up without a mother to braid her hair and read her stories and talk about boys to like mothers and daughters were supposed to. It wasn't the same with Aunt Ginny. Aunt Ginny had her own daughter to worry about. Heavens know Lily was no angel. Rose remembered the school years of Lily stumbling into the Gryffindor common room drunk with messy hair and jumbled clothes. Even in her first year Lily had been a rule breaker, staying out after curfew and was always with a boy. Which is why Lily had a hard life until Logan Wood had shown up and knocked some sense into her. Logan Wood was a good man, even if he wouldn't admit Brutus was his son, a little fact Rose shared with _no one._ People had stopped wondering and asking who Brutus's father was long ago. Which was for the best. Hubert Thompson was a good man, a kind man, and would be a good father to Brutus. Even if he was boorish. Even if his magic was weak. It didn't matter to her anymore to find a guy just like Logan. She hadn't loved Logan. At least, she believed she hadn't loved him. She was just a moth to a flame. Logan Hunter Wood was the exact opposite of Rose, the type of guy her mother would have disapproved of. Which is why he had been her perfect choice. Until he had pushed her and her unborn babe away. It had stung for years, especially that Sunday morning he had arrived at the Burrow with Lily. But she was over it now. She had grown up without a mother and she would not let her son grow up that way as well. Uncles and a grandfather where not enough. Brutus needed a father. And if it took pretending to love a kind man she would do it gladly. _That mother,_ she snarled in her mind, _is what you have made me. A woman willing to throw away her happiness just so she won't be like the woman who was supposed to be her mother. Thank you mother, thank you oh so much._

[A][g][e][d]

The boy-who-lived Harry Potter was now the man-who-sighed-a lot. It would have been easy to blame it on old age. After all, he wasn't as young as he used to be. A war, parenting, and work had taken its toll on the man with a lighting strike scar. It didn't exactly make for a relaxing old age like it was supposed to. If he was being honest-something he tried on the regular-it wasn't the old age that made him sigh and ache. It was his children. Or, to be more blunt, his criminal oldest son and his wild child daughter. As a child James had been a handful-as had Lily-and had always been in trouble for pranks and such. Harry and Ginny had believed he would grow out of it with time. Eventually he would smarten up. That's what everyone had said. That's what Harry and Ginny had believed. It turned out everyone was wrong. James didn't get better, he got _worse._ The pranks grew into crimes. Stealing, beatings, and something that happened to a girl, which Harry would never let Ginny know-it would kill her-, and so much more. The son of a hero, James grew into a convict. Not so bad as to be in put in Azkaban, so Ginny had thought, but Azkaban claimed their first child. The look in James's eyes the first time Harry visited was something he never wanted to remember. Harry's grandsons by James were heading down the same path. Which is why Harry had decided to send them away to another school instead of Hogwarts. At least until James got out. They listened to James, the man who was never there, but Harry, Harry the man who was a war hero, the man who was _always _there for them, was the man they didn't listen to. They ignored Ginny as well. The thought pained Ginny who had taken over the position of the mother hen from her own mother Molly. At least James's daughter, the sweet Mellow, was kind and peaceful. But she didn't talk, or utter any type of sound. You had to be looking at her or holding her just to know she was there. Her magic was weak as well. She would just barely be able to go to Hogwarts when she was old enough. But she was good and so sweet, that Harry kept her with him and Ginny. It was the least he could do for his wife. Her own daughter, after all, hadn't turned out right either.

Harry couldn't remember the pregnancy scares Lily had had, even while in school. With the criminal position already taken, Lily had taken upon herself to become the party child. Harry had gotten complaint after complaint about Lily starting her second year at Hogwarts. It saddened Harry to think his little girl had become the girl that she had. In school, according to his nephews and nieces, Lily had always surrounded by guys. Lots of guys. And when she was home she wore skirts much too short for any girl and shirts too tight even for her small frame. No matter how much he wished it wasn't true, Harry knew what his daughter was and it didn't make him happy. He still remembered the times when she was drunk, yelling and slurring, throwing objects and hurling her insides, her hair and clothes in array. Harry recalled the party she and James had thrown the summer after her third year. Harry and Ginny had just returned home from Ron's, trying to console him over the loss of Hermione, to find their house filled to the brim with teenagers. Firewhiskey bottles littered the yard and filled the hand of all the children. Ginny had ran inside to find their children while Harry dealt with the outside guests. When he went inside to help Ginny he found his daughter on the lap of a seventh year, her shirt and jeans unbutton, smelling of Firewhiskey. It was then that he was face to face with who his daughter was. Now she was with Logan Wood, of no connection with Harry's old Quidditch captain Oliver Wood. Logan, while himself a partier, was good for Lily. She stayed home and took care of her and Logan's daughters; Bethany, Jasmine, and Carla. Harry hadn't seen her drunk in ages, for which he was grateful. He just wished he knew where he went wrong.

Albus had fared better than his siblings. He had a steady job, steady income, and two wonderful children, William and Amy. The only probably that lay with Albus was his meekness. He held no ambition beyond maintaining what he already had. Maybe that was the reason his wife left him. She wanted more, Albus wanted nothing at all. Yet he was not a disappointment. How could he be, with the way his siblings had turned out?

Harry wanted to blame his hero status. Perhaps it had just been too great of a burden upon his children. They couldn't have wanted to be known as offspring of a hero. That was reason behind what they were. James wanted to be the opposite of a hero; Lily wanted people to forget that she was a daughter of a hero; and Albus just wanted a nice, normal, ordinary life. It was Harry's fault. Right? The hero thing was just too much for any family. He just had to look at Ron and Hermione for further proof. Hadn't Hermione turned away from Ron and her hero status to Draco, the enemy? But then, no one really knew how Draco and Hermione had become to be. Ron never wanted to speak to her again, Ginny was in shock, and Hermione had run away before Harry could find out. Only Neville and Luna had turned out right. Although now Neville was sick and soon to die as far as anyone could tell. It just went to show that no one could be a hero and live happily forever after.

[H][a][p][p][i][l][y][F][o][r][e][v][e][r][A][f][t][e][r]

The owls hooted in the moonlight overhead as Luna Longbottom-Lovegood cleaned their nests. Nighttime was her favorite part of the day. She got to play with her owls and the owls kept the gigglesteins away. They caused you to giggle you know. And, besides, who could resist the sight of beautiful owls flying overhead, the moon and stars behind them, singing for the pure joy of living to see another day? Luna loved her owls, but they were not as near and dear to her as her husband and family. Neville treated her like a princess and seemed to understand her quirky oddities. What's more, he seemed to love her for those same oddities. Who could help but love the man that loved what others could not see beyond?

Everyone told her Neville was dying. They said he was too sick to live much longer, but Luna knew better. Neville would live for thirty more years to come. The owls told her so. It was Luna that would not live for long. But no one needed to know that. What come would come and Luna would be there when she was needed most. So for now she tended her owls and her garden and her family. It was a perfect life and she knew it. She knew that it would, the moment Neville proposed and told her that he wanted their last name to be Longbottom-Lovegood, Lovegood because it was her last name and because their life would good and full of love. He was right. It was good and full of love. Their son was head of the Gringotts bank and his daughter Marble was a beautiful and bright child, and their daughter had married Quincy Dursley, a relative of Harry Potter 's, and became Delia Longbottom-Dursley. Her son Trevor was destined to become a great wizard and hero through his friendship of another. Luna had known this since before he was born. Luna was like that.

It appeared that he had already met this person as well. A girl named Metallica McLeod from America. Trevor wrote often about her, but despite what Delia and her daughter in law Ariel thought, Luna knew that Trevor didn't have a crush on the girl. He saw something in her that was worth following. So Luna had sent an owl to him to give to her. They needed a way to communicate during the summer after all. Trevor was so much like Neville that Luna couldn't help but laugh. Since the moment he could crawl, Trevor had been trailing after Neville and, when Neville was away teaching at Hogwarts, Trevor trailed after Luna. He would go with Luna to the Owl Tree and Bat Tree and learn all the things that Luna could teach him. Even if he had forgotten them for the time being, Luna knew he would remember when the time was right. Time…there never seemed to be enough it. Luna clutched the silver necklace she wore around her neck. On it was a silver pendent of a rabbit. Neville had given it to her on their fifth anniversary. He knew she loved _Alice in Wonderland._ It did fit her, with its oddities and her own oddities. She loved most of all the rabbit and the cat. The cat for knowing what others did not know and never being able to tell others what he knew. It felt just like her. The rabbit she loved for symbolic reasons. The rabbit was in a race against time, always darting this way and that trying to make its destination before its head was cut off by the Queen and Alice followed it without knowing why. This too felt like Luna, just in a different light. While the rabbit was continuously running to meet its fate, hoping to avoid another fate, Luna stayed still, at a completely leisurely pace, waiting for fate to come and find her. Fate seemed follow her for no explainable reason that anyone could see just as Alice had followed the rabbit for no real reason. It was a rabbit for goodness sake. Luna looked up to the moon, her namesake. Just like the rabbit she felt as if there was never enough time. Never enough time at all.

[S][t][a][g][i][n][g]

Sometimes the Headmaster of Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, felt downright evil. Who else felt as giddy as he did when stirring up trouble and chaos? He stamped the last letter and gave it to an elderly screech owl, waving it off to its destination. What he was doing was bound to cause trouble and trouble is exactly what a headmaster was meant to _keep _from happening. That just seemed so normal. If one thing was true, this headmaster was anything _but_ normal. Normal was just too boring. The Headmaster did not like boring. Boring was boring and that was that. So if his actions caused chaos and a loud ruckus, he was perfectly fine and dandy with that. Even overjoyed at the thought of it. Of course one student-and perhaps, most undoubtfully many adults-would want to kill him. He laughed. What was life without causing some mayhem and avoiding dying by the hands of others every once in awhile? A boring one that what! And the Headmaster hated boring…

**Not quite what I planned but it got the job done. Understand I didn't think the lives of the original characters would be all sunshine and daisies. Because that would be boring. And our Headmaster hates boring…**


	8. Seeing Beyond With Doubts,Life Isnt Fair

**Thank you Irene, you got the name meanings right! Trevor was Neville's toad and Aries and Taurus are constellations Scorpius and Draco. I wanted a name like Hermione so I lamely came up with Herms. There are other meanings for other characters as well. Sorry it takes forever to update, but, well, my muse keeps disappearing. .. **

**Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter, but I own the third generation! Ah ha!**

Brutus Weasley yawned absently mindly as he scratched a few words down on his crinkling piece of parchment. He hated essays; they took far too long. At least this one wasn't one that he had to do research on. His great grandmother Molly had told him all about his family history. At last the Weasley's would get to shine again, years after the war. He stole a glance at the group at the fireplace: Trevor and the Malfoys. His green eyes narrowed. It wasn't fair. His family had worked for the _right _side of the war and had won. They nearly sacrificed everything for the war and they were no better off than they had been years before. The Malfoys had been on the wrong side and yet they still had everything. There was no justice in the world. He watched as the group migrated up stairs. Why did the Malfoys have all the luck? And why did they have to ruin everything? According to his Uncle George his family had been happy once; his grandfather used to smile, his mom apparently had been just like her mother, the brightest witch of her age. There were Sunday brunches and large Christmas gatherings were everyone was happy and smiling. All before he was born. Before Draco Malfoy entered their world and took his grandmother away. Everything fell apart. Now there were no Sunday brunches, no Christmas gatherings. It wasn't fair. The portrait door swung open and a small girl with dirty blonde hair and pretty blue-green eyes entered. Metallica McLeod.

Brutus dropped his quill and balled his fist. He could take on the Malfoys and get rid of them if it wasn't for her. The stupid American got in the way far too much for his liking. She should keep her bloody nose out of a man's business.

"And what the hell are you looking at you?" She snapped at him and he jumped back. Until now he hadn't noticed her eyes. Where normally green and blue lay, now was red. The air around her was tense and unmerciful. When he didn't answer she stomped over to him. "I asked you a question!" She glanced down, ignoring his gaping mouth and wide eyes. "What's this?" She picked up his parchment paper and laughed. "What's this, doing your homework? That's so unlike you freckle face." She slammed the paper down and started to walk away.

It was then that Brutus was finally able to compose himself. "Why don't you just stay out of it!"

Metallica whipped around. "What was that?"

"You're always in the way! You should just get out! No wants you here, can't you see that?"

For a moment Metallica stood silent. The red resided from her eyes slowly and then her eyes turned soft. But, just as soon as it was all gone, all the red quickly reappeared. "I see much more than you'd think, like how your magic is weak. You can't even cast a spell as easy as _lumnios _right. It's not even because of your stupidities, which admit ally is much higher than everyone else's, it's because you're just so pathetically weak. You try covering it up with brute strength but your little temper tantrums are just a way at getting back at the rest of the world who actually have magical powers. You're so afraid that someone's gonna notice that you barley have any magic that you latch on to the faults of everyone else, like the fact that the triplets are Malfoys and grandchildren of a death eater, trying however unsuccessfully to ignore the fact that they share the same blood as you. And the fact that I'm the odd one out. That I'm lucky to have made it in here because by all truths I'm not supposed to be here. Well guess what, someone's already seen, and I'm not the only one who's not meant to be here." Metallica turned her back on him and walked up the stairs, ignoring the sounds of glass shattering. Brutus slammed his head down on the desk, covering it up with his arms, and sobbed.

So what if the headmaster was right and Metallica saw things. Since when did it ever make anyone happy?

[D][r][e][a][m][s]

Metallica trashed under her scarlet covers. Her lips moved as if she was murmuring and screaming. Her head moved back and forth, her legs kicking, her fingers scratching.

_You're not wanted…_

_ Stupid bitch!_

_Ungrateful!_

_ No wonder your mother went and died, or is that she left you? You useless piece of crap. Can't believe she even gave birth to you._

_Poor girl, going through all that and then giving birth to that child, if she could even be called that._

_ Come on Metallica, it's gonna be so easy, you'll see. Just sneak in, past the guards and grab the thing._

_ Welcome to Blood Waters, the best bayou in all of Louisiana. _

_ Names Colt Rivers, and you are?_

_Stick to the darkness, it'll be easier to catch them off guard that way._

_ Metallica get lost! No wants you!_

_They're all gone. Some torched the place when we were sleeping. They didn't get out._

_ I'm your Aunt Anna. You're coming with me, whether you want to or not._

_Where's my beer? What did you do with my beer you stupid- Get out!_

_You want to know the truth of your father? Huh? Do ya? YOU WANNA KNOW THE TRUTH OF THAT MAN?_

_Get lost!_

_ Get out!_

_Metallica, you're not wanted. Get lost. Get out. Don't ever show your face again. No one wants you._

Metallica trashed under her covers till twilight. When her body ceased to twitch, her voice began to whimper. Still sleeping, she wrapped the blankets around her small frame. Disturbed hooted quietly on his perch beside her bed, Aerosmith cooed in agreement next to him. This scene, played over and over every night, worried the two night creatures. Whatever was tormenting their human, they hoped would end soon. Once again, none of her roommates noticed her distress. Too absorbed in their own fantasies. Which was too sad, Aerosmith and Disturbed concluded, because their human could use someone's help.

[G][o][o][d][M][o][r][n][i][n][g][S][u][n[s][h][i][n][e]

Metallica woke up to the usual hustle and bustle of her room. Marble was staring outside her window, looking extremely serene (something was severely off about the girl), Nicole was quietly reading her history book, Lilac was tossing her clothes about the room, screeching that she had nothing to wear, Deanna was complaining about her hair (the girl had the big hair style made famous from Dallas), and Dianna was nagging Lilac about the mess she was making. There were two beds empty on the other side of the room which, sadly, would be filled next year. Metallica couldn't stand the roommates she was already rooming with, the exception being Nicole who was quite enough not to bug Metallica (so was Marble, but she had the ungodly trait of staring at a person for hours on end as if peering inside into a person's soul), and she truly did not relish in the idea that there would be more girls next year. Metallica slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Aerosmith and Disturbed hooted greetings at her, not attacking each other for once.

Nicole looked up from her book. "We have herbology today with the Hufflepuffs."

"At least it's not the Slytherins." Metallica slipped out of her bed and started searching for her uniform.

"They're in it too, or at least half of them. Best to bring your boots. Professor Spice said we're going out in the forest today."

Metallica scratched Aerosmith behind the ears. "Would that be the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yes."

"Oh joy."

Metallica hated the moving staircases. For whatever reason, they chose to change directions at the worst possible moment. Like when you are starving and trying to make your way to the Great Hall. The one morning since arriving at Hogwarts that she was actually starving, the staircases decided to change on her just as she was about to reach the final steps to the Great Hall.

"Ugh, why?"

"Good morning Sunshine." A familiar voice said behind her. All color drained from Metallica's face.

_Life wasn't fair._

[D][r][e][a][d][i][n][g][Y][o][u]

Metallica's feet were glued to the floor. Her hands balled into fists at her side. She kept her eyes straight ahead and concentrated on breathing.

"So, Miss Metallica McLeod, long time no see, I believe that is the expression isn't it?" Luke Sideheart said, circling around her. "I'm under the impression that you've been avoiding me. Is that true?" He tapped her chin lightly.

The sudden and unwanted touch snapped Metallica back to life. "Don't you ever touch me."

He smirked down at her. "Why so hostile? All I've ever done is tried to be your friend."

"I don't want or need you as a friend. I've got plenty."

He laughed callously. "Ah yes, the fumbling Longbottom- Dursley and the trio of losers. Great crew, great crew." He clapped his hands. "Now I have to wonder how such a strong," he took her chin in his hand, dropping it when she shook her head out of it, "and feisty young girl could possible see anything in such stupid gits. They're just little babies. You should be with people more of your kind. Someone like me."

"..You."

"Really now princess? Because I find that we have a similar history." Something flashed behind his eyes. Something dark and dangerous. For a moment Metallica drowned in his eyes, images flashing through her mind. Images of him as a much younger person. Images as he was before, as he was, as he would be. Metallica shook her head.

"What are you doing to me?" She closed her eyes and angled her head towards the floor.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. For now at least. Why can't you see that we're the same?"

"Because we have nothing in common."

"Keep telling yourself that princess."

"I will, because it's true."

"Really now? Have you told your friends about your past, about your family?"

Metallica whipped her head at him. "What do you know about it?"

"Don't you remember what I said when we first met?"

"You mentioned my aunt's death." _Which I hadn't told anyone about._

"Yes, so I did. Which stands to reason that I, just perhaps, might know quite a few interesting facts about your life that you haven't told anyone. Not even the headmaster who seems so keen on learning about you."

"You don't know anything!"

Sideheart stepped closer to her and she moved away. He growled deeply in his throat. "Stop running away."

"I've never run away from anything or anyone. And I'm nothing like you!"

He cupped her face in his hands, not letting her back away. He peered into her eyes, searching for something. "You're just a child." He tossed her to the side and turned his back on her. "There are things happening at Hogwarts that have been laying in wake for centuries. They've just now begun to stir and they are restless. Don't you find it odd that so few people here have any real amount of magic? That their spells have less than one tenth of the strength that they are meant to have?" He turned to gaze at her. "Of course you have, but it means nothing to you right now doesn't it? You're still such a child, but princess, childhood's end is coming soon." He turned his back on her once again. "I just hope you're ready for it." He left, not looking back at Metallica on the floor.

Barley a moment later, Trevor and the triplets came upon her.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Taurus asked.

"He's a freak."

The boys looked quizzly at each other. "Who?" Aries asked.

Metallica looked up at them, just then computing in her mind that her friends were beside her. "Never mind, let's go get breakfast."

Trevor shuffled his feet. "Umm, Metallica…"

Metallica sighed. "What Trevor?"

"Breakfast is over."

It was a perfect morning.

[L][a][u][g][h][i][n][g]

The elder cackled with laughter.

The younger glanced at the elder in surprise. "Do you really think that's wise?"

"The young is always more cautious then the elderly. Believe in my wisdom. Things shall be as they are meant to be." The blue bubbled in the shape of a ball before the circle.

"If that is true, then why must all this be done?"

"Because life isn't fair."


	9. One of Those

**Back again, my muse decided to come home after running away from me for a LONG TIME! Sorry about that folks, blame the muse!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I think we get it. After all, every story you read here says the same thing. I don't own Harry Potter. But to think how much money I would have if I did….*daydreams of a money tree* **

Metallica's boots obliterated the dead leaves on the ground as she trudged through the forest with her partner Marble. Professor Spice had split the class into pairs of two when they had reached the Forbidden Forest and had explained, quite sternly, that they were not to leave their partner. Unsurprisingly, that had not gone over well with much of the class.

"You mean to tell me I have to be stuck with this git!" Brutus had shouted at the woman.

"It's not like I'm happy this either Weasel…" Taurus had grumbled. He stood with his arms crossed, as far away from his partner as possible. Will and Herms were more or less doing the same to each other, neither saying anything. Molly Wood stood awkwardly with Aries beside Metallica and her partner.

Metallica nudged Trevor. "I thought we were supposed to be with the Hufflepuffs?"

"We are."

"Then why is Molly here? She's in Ravenclaw." Metallica noticed the brown headed girl shift on her feet nervously. She twirled her hair around her finger and a slight blush marred her face. Metallica wondered what that was about.

Trevor shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno know. Maybe she mixed up her classes today or the like."

"She was resorted." Trevor and Metallica whipped their heads around to stare at the pixie child (that's the best way Metallica could explain exactly what the girl was) standing beside them. "The Sorting Hat made a mistake and she was resorted into Hufflepuff. First time the hat has ever made a mistake."

"Marble," Trevor said quietly, "what are you talking about? You cannot be resorted. You only get sorted once."

Marble stared at her cousin. She knew he was a miniature version of their grandfather, just as she was one of their grandmother. While Trevor was chubby and dark haired, Marble was fair and thin. She knew that he would possibly always be on the chubby side and she would grow up to be quite a beauty. She wasn't thinking that to be rude or superior, it was just fact. And Marble liked facts. So did Trevor. But his facts were different from Marble's facts. Trevor focused on facts that were this and that, facts that had strict guidelines. Marble preferred her facts. The facts that showed that which was neither _here nor there._ Facts that were and were not. Facts he could not understand, but that she could. It was how she knew what would become of him, her, and their grandmother. Yes, there grandmother was very important indeed.

"Poor child."

"What?"

"She wanted to be in Gryffindor so badly, with all her heart. To be just like her father. When the hat recalled her to be sorted once again, she was so happy. She thought it was her chance, but it wasn't. Now she feels lost." Marble left to go hug the other girl.

Metallica stared after her. "Trevor."

"Yes?"

"Your cousin is weird." At that moment sparks flew as punches threw and Taurus and Brutus were, once again, in the midst of battle.

[T][r][a][i][l]

Walking with Marble Longbottom-Lovegood was just too quiet for Metallica. And Metallica loved quiet. The only sound that could be heard was the crunch of the leaves beneath her feet and the annoying song bird that seemed to follow them through the forest.

"So Marble-"

"You carry weight in your footsteps."

"Huh?" Metallica turned to look at her. Marble was, once again, looking at nothing, her blue eyes staring straight ahead, seemingly in a daze, as usual. It creeped Metallica out. Because, to Metallica, Marble was one of _those_ people. And those people were the few that tended to unnerve Metallica. Only slightly. But slightly was enough for her.

"You are killing all the leaves." Marble said simply, her eyes not moving to look at Metallica.

"What-" Metallica looked down. "Oh." She looked back up at the still-not-moving Marble. "Marble, these leaves are already dead. That's why they're on the floor." Marble was also one of those people who didn't seem to understand what was supposed to be understood already. Unfourtantly that meant you had to explain things to her. Slowly.

"I can hear them scream."

"Huh?"

"I can hear them scream. Can't you hear them?"

"No body's screamin'."

Marble's eyes bore into hers. "You can hear them too." Metallica was about to call the blondie crazy when all at once Metallica's ears seemed to open and an explosion of noise hit her.

So many…..so many screams….they were crying out….crying out for help. Her help. They needed her….wanted her…why wasn't she helping them? She was supposed to help them, protect them…why…oh why wasn't she helping them?

All Metallica could hear were the screams. The blood curling screams that rang in her ears, drilling into her insides. Metallica gasped for air, the screams too much. Too damn much. That's when Metallica glanced at Marble. She was dressed in a red dress, but was it really red? Or was it all the blood? Why was there blood? It covered her, dripping down her body, splattering her snow white hair, tainting her dress. Marble, Marble…what happened? What's wrong with you? Marble?

Metallica couldn't speak. Couldn't choke a sound out. It was too much. They were too much. No, no! They couldn't, they couldn't die! That wasn't the way it was supposed to be, it wasn't…it wasn't…Make it stop! How dare they? How dare they think they could….what was happening? Why could she hear screaming? There was no one screaming before? It was because of Marble, Marble said it and then she heard them. It was magic. It was Marble's fault. It wasn't real. Just a spell, just blink and it'll be gone. Just blink…why was there fire? Where did the fire come from? Why…it was so hot…just like before…too hot…too hot….

And then it was over. The sound reseeded. The heat drained from her body. Marble was back in her school uniform. Worse yet, Marble acted as if nothing had happened. As if seeing her partner on the ground was an everyday occurrence.

"Shall we continue then?" Marble asked. Metallica felt like slapping her.

If only to make herself feel better.

[L][i][n][e][a][g][e]

Taurus called Professor Spice every cuss word he knew. In his mind of course. He did have some class. Even if the Malfoy's had dirtied themselves up a bit. Not because of his grandmother's bad blood, mind you, no, that was not the reason at all. It was because that, due to his grandmother's misguided marriage, he was, unfortunately related to the red headed devil tied to him. Yes, Professor Spice, the odd Herbology teacher, had tied him to the dirtiest and poorest wizard there was. If one could call the red devil a wizard. Taurus couldn't recall ever really seeing the boy doing too much magic. Accidently setting things on fire, yes, but magic? No, not really. The thought of fire suddenly made Taurus uncomfortable for two reasons. One was that he was currently tied to the red devil and he certainly did not feel like being set on fire. The other reason was that he simply rather not play around with fire.

His partner, on the other hand, had a different view on things.

Brutus muttered incoherent (even to himself) things under his breath. He tossed his wand about in his hand, fire sparking out of its tip. He cursed Professor Spice with every cuss word he knew. In his mind of course. He did have some class. Unlike the git attached to him. How could they allow such a person into Hogwarts? Malfoy's were evil. Devil spawn. He had grown up listening to his grandfather about the evils of the Malfoy family. And now he was attached to one. Great, just great. More fire sparked out of his wand.

"Hey! Would you cut that out!"

Brutus glared at him. "Make me."

In the end it turned out that it didn't take much to get the two fighting. They found themselves wrestling on the ground, rocks digging into their backs. They punched each other and kicked, bit and scratched. Like Taurus had thought earlier, Brutus didn't use much magic. Only his fists and fire.

"Stupid Weasel-"

"Evil Malfoy-"

They both screamed as they rolled off a ledge and fell down below.

"Now look what you've done! We're stuck down here!"

"What I've done? You're the one that-what's that?"

Taurus really, really, didn't like fire.

[P][l][a][n][t][i][n][g]

Metallica and Marble came to a clearing in the woods. Neither had spoken since the "incident" and Metallica was starting to believe that Marble, somehow, didn't remember it. Maybe it was the humming. Only a person without a care in the world could hum like that. Marble was certainly humming like that. So maybe it hadn't happened…

Metallica shook her head. No point dwelling on it at the moment. "So what are we supposed to do?"

Marble dropped to her knees. "Plant it."

"Plant what?"

Marble took something red out of a white bag. "Our hearts."


	10. Fire

**Just so everyone knows, I really hate not being able to update sooner. And I'm really, really sorry about it. But with my last year of high school, work, and my muse continually disappearing on me (I need a tracking device) I can't update as much as I liked. On another note, who loved the new movie? I took my little brother to see it and he loved it :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, although I wish the owner would make a second series to it.**

Hermione Jean Granger, also known as Professor Weasley sat at her desk idly tapping it with her wand. It was a least favorite pastime of hers for three important reasons. For one, it occurred all too frequently. Secondly it meant that she was not teaching and she loved to teach. She had grown to love molding (as she called it) young minds and shaping them the "right" way. Because, thankfully, it saved her from the third reason that she hated her least favorite pastime: she remembered and she thought. She remembered what it was like to have Ron Weasley love her. To have her children call her "mommy" and "mum" instead of "that woman". She remembered what it was like to know with complete and utter certainty that she was a _good _person.

She had severe doubts about that last one now.

Hermione hated to think of what everyone thought of her now. Harlot and Malfoy's whore were a few of Lavender Brown's favorites. Well, Lavender _Nott_ now. Hermione had the good fortune to teach Lavender's grandchild Eligius magic. Luckily he was a step-grandson and therefore did not inherit _anything _from Lavender. Hermione might have to use the killing curse on herself if he had. Shudder the thought. Hermione also had to teach her own grandchildren. Brutus, Taurus, Aries, and little Herms. It hurt to look at the four of them and know that she could never be a real grandmother to them. That she hadn't been there when they were born. That she hadn't been there for Rose when she had her first child. The fact that being a mother was stolen from her by the one person she hated most. Well, maybe fourth. But then, because of that person, she had lost the love of her life. So maybe it was first after all.

"PROFFESOR WEASLEY!" A student burst through the classroom's large, grand oak doors. "FIRE IN THE FOREST!"

The tapping ceased.

[T][r][o][u][b][l][e]

"What-" _punch, _"did-" _punch, _"you-" _punch _"do?"Taurus growled out as he punched the red devil tied to him.

"I didn't do it!" Brutus cried out.

"The forest is on fire so you had to do something! I don't know how to make fire so it had to be you!"

Brutus sobbed into his hands. "I don't know!" Fire danced in the forest above them. The stone walls of the hole that they found themselves kept the fire at bay, but not for long.

"We have to get out of here!" Taurus whipped his head around searching, hoping, praying, for a way out. Something clicked in his brain. "Let's send up a flare!"

Brutus stopped crying. "How?" Taurus stared blankly at him. "You don't know?" Taurus shook his head. Brutus began to sob again.

Taurus gritted his teeth. He hated crybabies. He always ended up hitting them. That's what happened to crybabies-something he and Metallica agreed on whole heartedly- and that's what they deserved. Unless they were related to him. Aries never had never cried, he was built like Taurus, big enough to handle anything, but Herms had, many times. But that was okay because Herms was smaller than both Aries and Taurus and he was the youngest. And he was related to Taurus. But anyone who was not related to Taurus wasn't to be tolerated. Crybabies were annoying. Irritating. That's why he always hit them. So when Brutus continued to cry Taurus really, really wanted to hit him. But one look at him and Taurus dropped his fist. Crybabies were annoying, but Brutus was, sadly, unfortunately, because fate hated him, related to him. So that meant he could cry. Even if it killed Taurus.

With one look at the flames, Taurus thought it just might do it too.

[H][u][r][r][y]

"Are you sure?" Professor Weasley asked Professor Spice. The large woman nodded. Hermione wanted to kill her, so it was Professor Weasley who spoke and not the furious Hermione. "Do you know what part of the forest they went to?" The large woman shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "WELL WHERE THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK THEY ARE?" Apparently Professor Weasley wasn't doing her job and Hermione decided to step in. She shook the woman until her eyes began to roll.

"Professor Weasley, Professor Weasley, PROFESSOR WEASLEY!" Professor Verbatim tore Hermione off the other woman. "Contain yourself!"

Hermione whirled around to glare at him. "What do expect me to do? Students-" she had to bite back the words _my grandchildren_- "are out there in the forest fire and this woman-" she pointed at Professor Spice, "is doing nothing to help. We need to find them now before this gets out of hand!"

Professor Heatly, the teacher in charge of charms, a woman Hermione loathed with every inch of her being, stared at her nails uninterested in the whole affair. "Does the forest not have charms placed around it to stop the spreads of fires?" She began biting a well polished nail.

Hermione felt like slashing the woman across the face with the nail. "No it does not have a charm placed around it. It is not an _average _forest. It has magical creatures within it that make it impossible to charm."

"The forest surrounding the Malfoy Manor has charms placed on it and it has magical creatures in it." She looked pointedly at Hermione as she bit another nail.

Hermione really, really, really wanted to kill this witch. "I would think anyone with a _grain_ of intelligence would know that the Forbidden Forest is not just forbidden because headmasters of Hogwarts have deemed it so for centuries, but because the Forbidden Forest is forbidden even to them. Magic lurks in the forest that no wizard can hex, charm, or defend against. It is not like the forest at the Malfoy Manor-" oh how it burned to speak the name of that place!-"it is much more. And at the moment our students are left helpless in the fire and against the creatures that lurk within it."

And, for all her teaching certification and Hogwarts education, all the young witch could say was, "Oh."

[B][o][n][d][i][n][g]

Taurus tore Brutus's hands away from his face. "Listen! We have to get out of here and we must do it now! Now act like a man, or, even better, a wizard and let's get out of here!" Brutus stared at him for a moment and then, hesitantly nodded. "Good, let's get to work."

Taurus cut off the tie connecting them and ran to one end of the crater as Brutus to the other. They searched along the walls for an opening, no matter how small or insignificant, and they searched high and low. They ran along the walls, finding nothing but smooth stone until they smacked into each other.

"Why you Weasel-"

"Look! An opening!" Brutus pointed to a small crack in the wall. It was defiantly small, barely enough room for either to enter.

Taurus looked at it, then at Brutus, and back to the wall. He nodded. "Fine then, you first." Brutus opened his mouth to object, but Taurus gave him no such chance. "Move your arse!" He said as he pushed Brutus into the crack. "Keep going!" He shoved Brutus.

"STOP IT!"

"MOVE IT!" Taurus glanced back as he put half his body into the crack. Fire had begun to expand downward into the crater, igniting on the fallen leaves. It started to spread rapidly, running on the rim around the walls. Taurus eyes widened. "MOVE IT NOW!" He shoved Brutus harder, panicking as he felt the heat chasing him. "MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"

"I'M TRYING-OOF!" Brutus landed with a thud on the ground with Taurus quickly falling on top of him. "Get off of me!" Brutus rolled onto his back and kicked Taurus in the stomach.

Taurus winced in pain. "Do you always have to hit? Can't you use a spell once in awhile?" Brutus glared at him and was about to retort when the air suddenly grew tense.

"_Abliciday Clostea" _The fire around them ceased. Taurus and Brutus stared at each other with gaping mouths before slowly turning their heads around.

It was then that Brutus proved himself to be the grandson of Ron Weasley.

"Bloody Hell"

**Merry Christmas, and Happy Holiday to any Holiday you celebrate! Hope you have a great New Year as well!**


	11. Planting

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Metallica stared blankly at Marble. "Want to run that by me again?"

Marble gave her a serene look. A look that said 'I know something you don't, but that's okay, you'll find out soon enough'. "Our hearts."

"Again, run that by me again."

Marble held the throbbing, bloody blob out in front of her, sunlight gleaming around her snow white blonde hair. "Our hearts. These seeds come from the Harlow plant; it grows only with the blood of its planter."

"Why the hell are you calling it our hearts?" This girl was too strange for Metallica. Marble couldn't give a straight answer. Her answer's always led to more questions that continued on leading to more questions and answers and questions and it was annoying as hell. It reminded Metallica of Luke Sideheart and that was a person Metallica rather _not_ be thinking about right now, or, honestly, any time.

Marble smiled sweetly. "Because they look like hearts, see?" She nudged Metallica with the seed-heart-thing and Metallica stepped back. The 'seed' looked more like a human heart than anything."We have to plant them and hurry away before it comes."

"Before what comes?"

Marble looked up to the sky, a bird flying overhead. "The fire of course."

[B][l][a][z][e]

The students ran about frantically, trying to get away from the smoke and flames. Teachers ran to their aide, trying to douse the blaze. It was to little avail. The forest was burning for the first time in it's creation and nothing could be done to end it.

"ARIES!" Herms cried, running to his elder brother. Will Potter followed silently, coughing into his hands. The smoke was too thick to be able to breathe normally.

"Herms!" Aries grabbed his little brother and held him close. "Where's Taurus?" Hermes shrugged and began a coughing fit. "He probably made it out of the forest. Come on, let's go, we don't want to get caught by the flames." The boys ran out of the forest, expecting to find their friends on the outside.

[B][a][r][s]

The centaurs dragged Taurus and the red headed devil through the forest, not caring that the ground and tree roots eat at the boys' skin. Tears fell down Brutus's dirty face and Taurus stifled a groan. Why couldn't he have been captured with someone that could help him escape, like Metallica or Aries? Of all the people to be paired with it had to be the bloody idiot. He spared a glance at the large half horse men. These things would kill him if they got the chance, if he had the same disease as his grandfather. His kind was far too dangerous for any sane magical creature to keep alive. Maybe it was best that Aries and Metallica hadn't been with him after all. Aries was just like him and the centaurs might have jumped to the conclusion that Metallica was one of theirs. Which wasn't true of course, they'd have known that by now. But these things wouldn't care about that. They'd just destroy her anyway. Just like they were going to do to him and Brutus. Brutus would die because he started the fire. Taurus stifled a laugh. The stupid idiot couldn't do the simplest spell, but he could light an entire magical forest on fire. The thought bubbled in his head and he started to laugh. He couldn't stop it. It was just too funny.

Brutus stared at him wide eyed. "What are you doing? They're gonna kill us!"

Taurus couldn't help it. The laughter bubbled out of him. It wouldn't stop.

[P][r][o][t][e][t][o][r]

Metallica grabbed Marble's wrist and ran as the flames jumped towards them. They had gone too far in the forest and the fire had spread around them. The roar of the flames was deafening and the screeches of animals as they died rang in Metallica's ears. They had to get out and they had to get out _now. _Unfortunately the pixie with her didn't seem to fill the same urgency that she did. The blonde stared off into space as Metallica dragged her away from the flames.  
"You have to help them." The blonde whispered.

"Who?" Metallica paid her little attention; she was focused on getting them out of their alive. Let the weird girl mummer what she wanted as long as she kept those feet moving.

"Your friends. You have to help them or they will be killed."

Metallica stopped dead in her tracks. "Who's in trouble?"

[F][a][i][t][h]

The younger glanced anxiously at the elder. "You must do something! This could ruin everything!"

The elder silenced him. "No, this is what has to happen. It will decide many things, many future choices that will decide much more. This has to be."


	12. What I Know

**So I started this story one night…err 1:00 a.m. in the morning…two years ago when I was in the tenth grade. I'm a senior now and I still love this story that nagged me to death one night so much that I got up and started typing away. Lately this story has gone a little bit different than where I thought it was going, but then I only know bits and pieces of where this story is going. I don't plan it out; I let the story tell itself. So right now I'm just hoping my muse will come and stay with me and that this story gets back on track.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Just Metallica and her friends, but they very well may just own me.**

"What do you mean they're missing?" Aries nearly shrieked. Herms had gotten pale white and William Potter was glancing around frantically. Other students sent Aries nervous glances and Professor Weasley wrung her fingers together, her eyes frantic.

"We are sending out a search party as soon as we can…"

"That's not good enough!" Aries stomped his foot and clenched his fists. What were these people not getting? His brother, his _triplet,_ was out there in the forest with a fire raging and the professors wanted him to _wait?_ No, waiting was not a game Aries played. He wanted his brother back and he wanted them back _now_.

Hermione could see the emotions running rampant across Aries eyes. He was a Malfoy through and through, and a Granger as well… She knew what he wanted to do, something she herself wanted to do and at his age she would have done without a thought, but this was not the time for such antics, especially not from him. "Aries, look at me." He did so grudgingly, rage bleeding out of his eyes. "We will bring him back, I promise. We will bring them all back."

[R][e][s][c][u][e]

Metallica followed the creatures dragging Taurus and Brutus. Unfortunately, Marble had decided to tag along despite Metallica's vivid objections. She had gone as far as to threaten the girl with the removal of a lung or some other vital organ. It didn't seem to matter. The freaky girl was content to follow Metallica with that weird look on her face. That look freaked Metallica out to no end. If she wasn't in such a hurry to save those two dumb idiots she would have lost the girl someone, a trick she had picked up when she was younger. But now was not the time for such things. Metallica rid thoughts of freaky Marble out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

Ten half horse creatures dragged the laughing Taurus and the crying Brutus through the forest. Somehow the fire veered away from the northern side of the Forbidden Forest, but the creatures seemed to care little about it. Metallica racked her brain for a name for the creatures and landed on centaurs. Half man half horse. Girls apparently went crazy over them, but Metallica didn't understand the appeal. The centaurs stopped suddenly in a clearing in the forest and Metallica ducked down quickly, dragging Marble down with her. She peered around the tree, being careful not to be seen. The beasts seemed to be waiting for something. Their tails swished and they pranced their hooves, their hairy faces impassive.

Marble peered around the tree just to have Metallica push her back without a glance. Metallica was too busy scanning the area and taking notes on the positions of the centaurs and her friends. She didn't know a thing about centaurs and what strengthens they might have, but she knew it would be a fight to get everyone out of here. It would have to be done quickly and wordlessly. It would be too great of a risk to make any type of signal to the others. Which was just as well, she didn't have a plan yet. Suddenly, a giant horse man catapulted out of the bushes, landing on a rock in front of Taurus and Brutus. His eyes stared down maliciously at them, his black tail whipping the air around him mercilessly.

Metallica needed to act now.

[V][o][i][c][e]

Taurus finally stopped laughing. The centaur pinned him to the ground with his dark hazel gold eyes. Next to him, Brutus stopped crying. Taurus couldn't tell if it was because the red devil had finally run of tears or if, just like him, the danger in the air sucked the emotions out of him.

"You have caused great harm to this ancient forest." The black centaur's voice was dark and commanding, promising retribution. "And you," the beast turned towards the fair haired Malfoy, "have brought a dark curse with you." His tail swished in the still hair. "No, you have brought more than just that. Much more indeed." Taurus gulped. "Your kind should have been exterminated long ago. You bring danger to all if let untamed."

Taurus couldn't let it go. "Do you plan on 'taming' me then?"

The centaur glared at him. "You are young so I shall forgive you for being a fool. But you cause a great destruction for my people should you be left to mature. I cannot let this come to pass. Your ignorance shall be excused; your life shall not."

Brutus was drained of color. "You're going to kill him? For what, not being one of you?"

"Do not be so quick to defend him. He knows the crime of his family well. And you," he fixed his eyes on the young boy, "have your own crimes to consider. Ones that cannot be forgiven lightly."

"Bu-but I didn't mean to! I don't know how it happened! It just…it just…I don't know how it happened!" Brutus cried.

"I know what happened wizard. You set to blaze the home of my people. You shall be punished for your crimes, as shall your friend."

"He's not my friend!" Taurus rolled his eyes. Of everything to be concerned with at the moment, the red devil decided for that to be the most important topic. Of course, Taurus was about to shout the same thing, but that was besides the point. "And it was an accident. I didn't meant to start the fire. I don't know how it happened."

"Regardless, you shall be punished. An eye for an eye, as one of your human beings once said centuries ago. And he must be punished as well. His crimes cannot go unchecked."

"What has he done? I'm the one that started the fire!"

"He was born."

Brutus sputtered. He had to admit; it was the same reason he hated Taurus. But to hear that from someone other than his family was…well…shocking. Apparently more than just wizards hated the Malfoy family. He was momentarily dumbfounded.

Taurus squirmed. "What he says is true. He didn't mean to start the fire. The idiot cannot even perform the simplest of spells. How he stared the fire is a mystery. Please let the idiot go."

Brutus saw red. Sort of. Well, at least he thought he did. Malfoy insulted him and tried to help him at the same time. He didn't know whether to be thankful or angry. He at least knew he wanted to hit something. Or someone. Anything would do really. He just needed something to happen because if these creatures were serious about killing him and the ferret he would start bawling again and he really didn't want his last moments alive to be one of being a cry baby. It was not very Gryffindorish and his grandfather and great uncle would defiantly disown him for it.

The great centaur threw he head back and laughed. "Do you think any of your wizards and witches of this decade have any real magic left? Your kind is slowly-" A blast of blue light blasted the centaur across the clearing, throwing him against a tree. Taurus's heart leaped. _Rescue_.

[B][l][a][z][e]

Years ago Metallica learned that sometimes the best plan was to not have a plan. Battles had three general ways of going:

a distraction that causes mass panic

2. Use stealth mode to take out a large number of people before making your presence known

3. Take out the head honcho and rush in and out as surprise and panic sets in to surrounding crowd

In this incidence, Metallica went with option three, quickly followed with no plan at all. Unless you counted running and blasting spells on the way a plan in which case yes, Metallica did have a plan. One that would hopefully work very well. Note the key word 'hopefully'.

The centaurs stood frozen in shock and Metallica used it to her advantage. She skidded to the boys, using a spell to undo their restraints quickly. She pulled them up and ran past the centaurs. The boys followed half a step behind her. They didn't get far before the centaurs roared into action. Metallica hissed. She forgot about their horse hooves and legs. Option two might have been the better course of action.

Marble appeared at her side. "What now Metallica McLeod?"

Metallica pretended to think for a moment, jumping over tree roots and dodging tree branches as she went. "Run and cast a few spells along the way. Sound good to you? Because that seems good to me right now."

Brutus's eyes went bugged eyed. "You don't have a plan?"

Marble flicked a strand of angelic blond hair out of her face. "Of course she does, she just doesn't know it yet."

Metallica skidded to a stop and changed directions. They others quickly followed her. What was with that girl? She acted as if she knew what Metallica was going to do and when she was going to do it. Which was impossible. Metallica didn't even know what she was going to do until she did it. What gave Marble the idea that she had the right to pretend she knew Metallica's mind. Metallica clenched her fists. She hated when people thought they knew her and her mind. She skidded to another stop and changed directions again, hoping the constant change of their path would throw the centaur herd off. The anger inside her bubbled up. This is exactly why she didn't make friends. They got in trouble and brought you down with them. They pretended to know you when they didn't have a clue. Metallica had been down this road too many times before. It really needed to end. Something caught Metallica's eye.

Ahh. That would do nicely.

[C][o][m][e][i][n][g]

The elder clasped his hands together in triumph. "It is truly something."

The younger glanced at the elder nervously. "Is this not all cutting it all a tad too close? It is far too early to test it."

"It is best to test it now and prepare it for that which lies ahead. It will only get harder as the journey continues."

"I fear all you have begun will lead to the end rather than the beginning."

"Perhaps you are right young one, but then, there might be a reason I have lived as long as I have."

[S][t][e][p][s]

Metallica and the others could hear the stampede of the centaurs approaching upon them. They were close. The others were panting and wheezing, having run so far for so long when Metallica finally stopped in front of a small cave.

The boys looked at her as if she had lost her mind. "Why are we stopping? They are almost here! They're going to kill all of us!"

Marble smiled serenely. "She found her plan."

Brutus gave the weird girl a bewildered look. "What are you talking about? What plan?"

Marble simply smiled. Taurus looked at Metallica. "You do have a plan don't you?"

Metallica nodded with a smug look on her face. It was a look she had perfected over the years. A look that made it seem as if something very good (or very bad depending on how you looked at it) was going to happen. Which, in this case, was true. Something was going to happen. It just took perfect timing.

The centaurs appeared before them, rearing their legs in the air. Brutus trembled as their hooves came crashing down on to the earth. Taurus fought his urge to run. Marble's eyes were glazed over as she smiled; her mind was elsewhere. Metallica held her wand in her hand, counting the events as they happened, waiting for the opening.

The leader of the centaurs glared down at them. "My kind are a peaceful race, we wish no harm upon others."

Metallica huffed. "Yeah, that's why you're tryin' to kill these two."

"You know nothing."

"I know more than you think. You want revenge against the weasel here-" Brutus interjected a "hey!" here-"I can understand that. It's ya'lls home. But he's a kid and he didn't mean to. You got some beef with Taurus's family? That's your problem. But I don't think a _peaceful_ race would want to hurt two kids, despite their 'crimes'. I can't let you deal out things you got no business dealing out, but since it was your home that was set on fire, I'll offer ya'll a deal. Leave now and we'll leave."

"Foolish child. This is our forest and we shall do as we wish."

Metallica shook her head. "I offered." She swirled her wand in the air. "_Phos."_ A green light shot out of Metallica's wand. It flew back into the cave behind the children and all eyes blinked at her. The centaurs chuckled at her and the boys dropped to their knees. Metallica's green eyes sparkled. They had no idea.

"Enough with this foolishness. It is-" The cave lit up in a vibrant green. The light illuminated the cave, shadowing the children. "What have you done?"

"I've just showed how much I know." The light blasted out of the cave, striking the centaurs, ripping at their pride, shredding at their flesh. It was a burning, blinding sensation. Their cries echoed throughout the forest. They buckled to their knees, clawing at their skin. Their fingers dug into the dark earth, their hooves digging into the ground. They neighed and screamed, but found no release.

Metallica's plan had worked. The large crystals hidden in the cave had reflected her spell perfectly. Now it was time to run. She grabbed the others and ran as swiftly as her legs could carry her. They had very little time to spare. She spurred the others on, racing to the entrance of the forest. As they ran they barely recognized that the fire had stopped. With the centaurs riving in pain and the blaze put out, they had no reason to run to other than to meet the end of this unwanted adventured.

Something kept flashing in Metallica's mind as they ran. _"Do you think any of your wizards or witches have any real magic left? Your kind is slowly…_

What in the world did that creature mean?

[S][i][g][h]

It seemed like an eternity passed before the pain left them. As quickly as it had come and infected them, burned them, and nearly drowned them, it resided. It left an empty feeling. As if they had survived a tragic event and were left hollow afterwards. Not a scratch was on them. Not a mark where they had been struck, not a scratch where they had clawed, nothing. It was as if nothing had transpired.

It was not a comforting thought.

Vilsine knew what it meant.

Their home was no longer safe.

**There were about three parts where I was gonna stop and go onto the next chapter but I wanted to do a long chapter. Tell me what you think, but no flames please. And remember this is just the first "book" so I can't give you all the secrets. Just hints and clues and guesses.**


	13. Musings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter (darn)**

Metallica felt mildly uncomfortable under the gaze of the professors as she and the others sipped their hot chocolate. To say it had been chaotic when they got back to the castle was a understatement. Metallica thought Professor Weasley was going to run up to Taurus and Brutus and suffocate them to death in a hug. Luckily, Professor Weasley was far too "professional" for such antics. Professor Verbatim had looked as if he wanted to do that to Metallica as well. Thank God he didn't. That would have been far too embarrassing and hard to explain to others.

Aries and Herms sat on either side of Taurus, neither giving him much space. To Metallica it looked as if both had been afraid of losing a piece of them. That must be the way it felt to be a triplet; connected. _Must be nice._ Trevor did the same to Metallica, scrunching up next to her to the point that she was about to fall off the bench. A quick, dark look his way corrected the problem. Of course, he looked hurt by the look. Stupid puppy eyes. William and Brutus sat silently together, Brutus's eyes all red and puffy. He sniffled every now and then and Metallica shook her head. It was done and over with, so would he get over it already? Slightly more annoying then Brutus's sniveling cry babying was Marble's odd, fairytale, off into Never Never Land, I-Know-Something-You-Don't look. The girl acted as if she had expected the fire and all that happened after it. Which, remembering all that the girl had said earlier, Metallica mused that perhaps the girl had expected it. It sent shivers up her spine. Marble was just plain freaky.

"The headmaster would like to speak to you about what happened after you have had awhile to breathe." Professor Weasley told the children.

Professor Verbatim crossed his legs, his black cloak feathering the stone floor as he sat. "I believe some points should be deducted from Gryffindor for the fire and 'heroics' that occurred here today."

Everyone stared at him with gaping mouths. "WHAT?"

"You can't do that!"

"It's unfair!"

"No right…"

"Bloody Hell…"

"Brutus Ronald Weasley!" Professor Weasley glared at the young red headed child. Brutus, at least, had the dignity to look slightly chastised. Although, Metallica couldn't help but to notice, it looked like he looked slightly gitty as well. Did the weasel like being punished or something? Wizards were odd, odd people…

"Seems the apple does not fall far from the tree…" Verbatim murmured under his breath. Professor Weasley shot him a warning glance.

"How'd you get the fire out?" Herms asked. Metallica rolled her eyes. Leave it to Herms to ask that question.

Professor Weasley shared a side glance with Professor Verbatim. "The headmaster is the one that put the fire out. It was an old spell." She closed her mouth as if to say that was the end of the conversation. Inwardly, Metallica laughed. Professor Weasley was old if she had forgotten how curious young minds could be. But it could wait. Metallica sipped her hot chocolate with little marshmallows. She knew how to play the waiting game. Well, at least, sometimes she did.

"Now about those points…"

If looks could kill, Verbatim would be dead by now. "I do not think that will be necessary Professor Verbatim." Professor Weasley eyed the younger man. "I believe these children have suffered enough."

"What about the other children? They suffered, did they not?"

_Oh Verbatim_, Metallica thought, _do_ _not tangle with this woman_.

"Miss McLeod," Metallica whipped her head up to Professor Weasley, "the headmaster would like to speak to you first. He said…well he wishes to see you."

Metallica had a feeling she knew what the headmaster had told Professor Weasley.

She did not need as much time as the others to recover.

But since when had she ever?

[C][o][n][f][e][r][e][n][c][e]

The tortoise was chewing Metallica's shoe. Did tortoises normally chew people's shoes? Metallica didn't know, but she really wanted the creature to stop. The headmaster sat at his desk, one hand twirling in his beard, the other twirling a yellow lollipop in his mouth. His blue eyes tinkled with mischief and Metallica groaned and leaned her head back.

It was going to be another one of 'those' meetings.

"So Miss Metallica McLeod," the headmaster began, "care to share a story from your recent adventure?"

"No."

"Ah, that is not very friendly of you."

"Well good, 'cause I ain't friendly."

"But you are friends with Mr. Trevor Longbottom-Dursely and the Malfoys are you not?"

"That's got nothin' to do with this."

"But my dear, that has something to do with everything. Everything has everything to do with everything and nothing at all." He waved a boney and aged hand in the air. "Life is funny like that, don't you think? What we think means nothing means everything. What we think means everything, means nothing." He peered at her thoughtfully. "I wonder, if we knew then, what we knew now, what would we do? What would we change?" Metallica didn't look at him. "What would you change, my dear?"

Too much. Too, too much. "I'm too young to know, ain't I?"

"No, I don't believe that at all." Metallica stared at him. She didn't like where this was going. Not at all. "What was it?"

"Huh?"

"What spell was it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Lying is a weakness. I didn't think you had a weakness." He stared at her thoughtfully.

"I don't 'do' weaknesses."

"Hmpf." The headmaster laughed. He waved his hand and a large spell book appeared in his hand. He placed it on his desk and shuffled through the pages lazily. "_Phos. _A nifty spell. The ancients used to love it." He eyed Metallica. "Tell me, how did you come across this spell."

Metallica said nothing.

"Tell me, Metallica McLeod, do you know what _Phos_ means?"

Again, Metallica said nothing.

The headmaster flipped through pages. "_Phos_, otherwise known as "light" in ancient Greek, was created by one Ardelis Demeter for his love, the fair, and yet, magically weak, Andromeda. It was a spell created for its beauty, releasing a vibrant color from one's wand. It was said that the color that was released reflected one's soul. It was only later, when Andromeda's jealous and vengeful sister, the dark witch Anstice, used the spell on her beautiful sister, that it was learned how hurtful that beautiful spell could be. It killed her. Burning her from the inside out, drowning her in her own sorrows and miseries, her fears and wishes. Such a horrible way to die. Luckily, however, it only kills when malicious spite is in intent."

Metallica stared at the headmaster, saying nothing. She crossed her arms and tightened her jaw.

The headmaster intertwined his fingers. "One day, you shall share your story." He laughed. "And

I believe that day will be tomorrow. Your paper is due then, if I recall correctly." Metallica's

green eyes narrowed in anger. "Now, off to bed with you youngster. You have class tomorrow."

Metallica was dismissed.

This angered her.

You did not 'dismiss' Metallica McLeod.

She dismissed you. And that was how the world worked.

The tortoise was still chewing her shoe.

[R][e][l][i][e][f]

The boys- her boys-waited for her to return to the common room. Trevor looked up at her with

smiling eyes. Metallica gave them a weak smile. She took in the looks on their faces and

laughed. Herms, probably the smartest of them all, would most likely always carry a worry face

for them. If she was the person to give out pity, Herms would be the person she would pity. It

was a burden to be one to worry for everyone else. Out of the group, Trevor and Herms were the weakest ones. It was a good thing that it had been Taurus and Metallica and not Trevor and Herms that had been in the woods with the centaurs. Metallica shivered to think what would have happened if it had been those two instead of her and Taurus in the woods.

"Please tell me tomorrow's Saturday." She looked at the boys hopefully.

Aries smiled, dropping his raging angry for a small moment. "Sorry to disappoint, but it's Thursday." Metallica groaned as she jumped onto the couch. She threw one arm over her face.

"Do you think they'll give us a day off tomorrow because of our 'heroic' antics today?"

Taurus snorted. "I think it was either class or deducting points from the house. I for one do not care to be hated by the rest of Gryffindor. The red devil is hated enough right now, so we chose class."

Metallica groaned again. "Stupid idiot." Taurus said nothing, which was a bit odd in the other's opinion, but they let it slide. Something that had irked Metallica earlier in the day, before everything had happened, sprang back to life. "Trevor, do you remember what Marble said earlier?"

"Um…no." Trevor shook his head.

"About Molly." Aries tapped his fingers on the table. "About her being resorted? She was in Ravenclaw and now she's in Hufflepuff. How did that happen?" The boys shrugged their shoulders. "Well Aries, did Molly say anything to you about it?" He tapped his fingers again. Taurus and Herms looked at him worriedly. When he didn't say anything, Metallica asked again.

"What? Oh, no. She didn't say anything at all. Just kept blushing and twirling her hair."

"I wonder how that happened. I didn't think you could be resorted."

"You can't." Trevor stammered. "Or at least, it's never happened before. It's quite odd really." He looked at Metallica and Taurus. "I'm just glad you two are safe." He said quietly, so much so that Metallica almost didn't hear him. The clock rang out, telling the children to go to bed. And so they did.

That night, all Metallica could dream of was flashing lights and old temples from forgotten days.

[W][h][i][s][k][e][y]

_Well old boy, you've about done it_. Draco Malfoy added another empty glass bottle to the broken stack. _As this rate, your liver is shot to Hell_. Draco smirked. He could feel the _tick tock_ of his life ticking. He should be dead soon. Very, very soon. Then he wouldn't have to live with the damn pain no more. He brought another fire whiskey to his lips. Let Scorpius deal with the family business. Let him carry the burden of the name Malfoy. Draco was going to die. He laughed evilly. Finally he'd get to move on. Scorpios could deal with everything. He could raise the triplets. Or, he laughed like an evil genius, Genevieve could take him. He roared with laughter on that one. His daughter had hated her half brothers, and, by extension, their children. Draco couldn't really understand why. It's not as if Astoria had been a real mother to them. No, that was what nannies were for my dear. Astoria. Draco shook his head. How had he ended up married to her? He chugged some more fire whiskey. Who cared? He married her and got an heir out of her. That's all that mattered.

Now Granger was another story. Weasley. He always forgot that. It was _Weasley_ now, not _Granger_. Although he was surprised she hadn't revert back to her maiden name after she had 'tainted her soul' with Draco. Draco 'hmpfed'. His soul was so black, all who came in contact with him were darkened.

Just think about the poor grandkids. He drank some more. Taurus, Aries, and Herms. Poor suckers. They were tainted too; they shared his blood. His blood coursed through their small veins, tainting them, cursing them. Blood. It's what it boiled down to wasn't it? It always came back to it.

Screw the blood. Screw life. He just wanted it over with. About a hundred and forty five more bottles should do it. Or one. Who was counting anyway?

Draco Malfoy was a coward to the end, right Hermione?

A tapping sound came from the window.

That could only mean one thing.

An owl stood at the window sill. His gold eyes mocked Draco Malfoy. In his beak the mocking continued. A letter from Hogwarts.

This should be interesting.

**So this is rated T for cussing. As you can tell, it's mostly Metallica and Draco that cuss. Sorry if it offends you, but I rated it T for a reason. **


	14. Stories

**Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, there would be second generation books out right now, but there is not, therefore, I do not own.**

The dawning if the next occurred, despite Metallica's scheming of the sun's demise. It was a brand new day, which could only mean one thing. The report was due. The report that Metallica hated with such ferociously that even now, in the warmth of her dorm bed, had Metallica's fist clenching. It was the headmaster's fault, really, and no amount of encouragement Trevor and the boys gave her today would deflect Metallica's fury over the headmaster's scheming. She knew that the man knew, it was impossible that he didn't. Therefore, this little act he was parading around her did little to subdue her. It had the opposite effect in truth. _Well_, Metallica thought, _let the man play his little game. I'll show him who's really in charge here._

But her poor boys, the unlucky souls, would bear the brunt of her anger for the day.

The poor souls.

[M][o][r][n][i][n][g]

The corridor echoed with the sound of the man's footsteps. It had been years since he had set foot in this place, and the weight of memories was becoming rapidly hard to bear. Had it really been that long ago since he himself attended this school? It seemed as if every nook and cranny hid away a ghost of his past. He wished to shrug off the meddlesome burden, but it would no due well to ignore a summing of the headmaster.

Quite an odd character the headmaster made, the man reflected. He wasn't sure if anyone knew the headmaster's name, or even where he had come from. It was sudden, the headmaster's role being made at the school. Eyebrows were raised in the wizarding world, at least the ones connected to Hogwarts, at the headmaster's sudden appearance and admittance as leader of the school. It was far more natural, many tongues had wagged, for a professor of the school to be made headmaster, rather than some man who showed up at the doorstep one day.

The man himself hadn't thought much of it, mostly because he hadn't cared. It was the truth after all, he was not a man to concern himself with things that held no interest for him. And it really hadn't, the gossip nor the abnormality of the entire thing. However, the man had been given a summons one day, and after much badgering from other parties, he had finally answered it. The first meeting was…odd in a manner the man had not been prepared for. He still wasn't sure what the headmaster had wanted, it seemed the old fool had just wanted to ramble on about trivial matters and speak in riddles until the clock had stroke twelve. He had been dismissed and had heard nothing again from the headmaster until this day, when another summing had been placed upon him. This time there had been no other parties to badger him day and night about attending the meeting, however the blasted bird that had delivered the letter had pecked at him and attacked him until he had thrown his hands up in the air and agreed to go.

He really hadn't wanted to attend, and just now, a reminder of why was exiting the Great Hall, assumingly just finishing with breakfast.

"Come on then, the sooner we get to class, the sooner we get it over with." A boy said, ushering a group of his peers.

"There seems to be a flaw in your logic, class will get out the same time it does everyday no matter what time we get there. So I say we take our time." Another boy scoffed. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we get out, he says. I say the sooner we get there, the longer we have to be there." The boy stopped walking and stared at the man. "Grandfather?"

Draco Malfoy looked down at his three grandsons, the infamous triplets. No doubt they were wondering why their grandfather was at their school, sober no less, and somewhat lucid for once as well. Malfoy was also clean shaven, a rare occurrence, and not mouthing out insanities. He could only imagine what was reeling in their minds at their moment, yet his mind was wondering why they were wearing Gryffindor colors.

"Gryffindor? When did this happen?" He half heartily questioned the boys. If he was honest with himself, he knew very well how it had happened. They were far too much like her for his liking. He eyed their companions suspiciously. The pudgy boy hiding behind them in the back looked soft and cowardly. He'd wager the boy was from Longbottom's line and have no fear in being wrong. The girl on the other hand was an entire different matter. Long, stringy dirty blonde hair. Green eyes that screamed anger and mistrust. Small scars on her hands, an air about her that screamed superiority and hate. She looked like a street urchin and Malfoy had a hard time understanding why she and the dumb sod from Longbottom's pathetic line where near his grandchildren. Unfortunately, he had no time to sort such things out at the present moment. "You are the first Malfoy's to be sorted outside of Slytherin. I do hope you are proud." He picked up his cane and continued walking, turning as many corners as he could before he spotted another face he did not wish to see. Blast his luck, he hadn't gone far when he spotted the one person he wished to never see again. Oh, how that was a lie, but a very good one if he did say so himself.

"Malfoy?" The woman asked, slowly stepping towards him, and back away again, as if she could not decide rather she dared to go near him or not.

He gave her a little smirk, cursing Merlin to the seven gates of hell. "Now, I would think we'd be past surnames, Granger."

"It's Weasley."

Blast it, he never could remember that part. "So it would seem. Good day to you professor." He turned away from her.

"Wait!" She started towards him, stopping as he turned back around. "What are you doing here?"

"That my dear," he felt like smacking himself-why was he calling her dear? That was highly unmalfoy of him-, "is why I have come to see the headmaster. To hear his thoughts on the matter." And before she could utter another word, he was gone. Just as before.

[U][n][k][n][o][w][n]

"That's your grandfather?" Metallica asked. He had looked a little bit like her boys, something to do with the hair and the chin, but Metallica thought the moment between them was odd. Didn't other people have normal families?

Aries nodded grimily. "He's sober for once."

Taurus clasped his brother on the shoulder. "Come on, the old man isn't so bad."

"I know, but it's rare to see him sober. It makes me wonder what he is up to."

"It's the devil you know, and the devil you don't know." Metallica told the boys. "Now let's go 'cause I'm not itchin' to get points taken away for bein' late. I think we've caused enough trouble yesterday."

"I hate when we have potions with the Slytherins. Professor Verbatim and those slimy gits? Merlin!"

Seamus came up upon the friends as the ascended the staircase. "Potions would be better without the Slytherins, but at least we have our first flying lesson today." Trevor groaned and hid behind Metallica. Herms noticeably paled.

"Yes, after history. We have that report due today."

Metallica came to a halt. "You just had to remind me, didn't you?"

[B][u][b][b][l][e]

It seemed as if the potion days were never really good days for Metallica. This day, at least, did not involve a potion that could burn and cut Metallica. However, a exploding potion was not that much better in Metallica's opinion. Angelo Zabini, of course, was having no trouble at all with his cauldron and the purple haze inside of it. Metallica wasn't sure what the potion was supposed to be, or what it was supposed to do, and truthfully her mind was far from the classroom in the dungeon.

"You're supposed to add the arrowroot now." Angelo's voice snapped Metallica out of her trance.

"What?"

Angelo sighed and dropped an item into her cauldron. "The arrowroot, you needed to add it. You really are terrible at potions, you know that?"

Metallica rolled her eyes. "Sure I am." She hacked her knife into the newt's eye, slicing it in half.

"And you were supposed to take the eye out whole, not break it." Metallica tightened her jaw and kept quiet. "By the way, have you finished your report for history?"

Metallica through her knife down. "Why does everyone care about this stupid paper?"

"Wizard families enjoy talking about their history and family legacies. Muggles don't?"

"Not this one." _Not at all._

"Well," Angelo said as he slowly slid his perfectly round newt eyes into his cauldron, "it looks like you don't have much of a choice today."

Metallica felt like cutting Angelo's eyes and stuffing them into her cauldron.

[T][i][m][e]

"Thank you Mr. Weasley for that…riveting report. Please have a seat." The headmaster told Brutus as the redhead finished his report. Metallica wanted to know why the headmaster was leading the class. He had come into the room and dismissed Professor Hellson. He also had brought the triplets grandfather with him. The headmaster was up to something, and she did not like it one bit.

The triplets were unlucky in the fact that the three of them each had to write the same story on the same family. The class was unlucky in having to hear the same story three times. But Herms, the more studious student of the three, added a touch more to his paper than the others.

"The Malfoy family was among the original people of England, before the Romans came to settle and conquer the lands." Herms began his speech. "One theory circulating our family is that our ancestor, Braxton, was a student of Merlin's at a young age, before Arthur became Merlin's star pupil. Braxton eventually left our beloved home and traveled to the Roman Empire and then, later Greece. From both places Braxton learned certain magics from war wizards in the Empire, and unnamed wizards from Greece who practiced old magic that was never past down unto the family, due to Braxton dying before being able to teach his son, Balthazar. Balthazar traveled to the Eastern parts of the world, before being killed by Mongols. His son, Richard, came back to England and made a fortune. Richard-"

"Yes, yes, you seemed to forget Morgana's role in all of this, but we shall ignore it for the moment. It shall be a few years before it is important for you and your brothers anyway. Since we have already heard about your family from your brothers, I will allow you to take your seat. Now, now, don't give me that look, you excelled as you were adapt to, now be seated." The headmaster waved Herms away. "Marble, I believe it is your turn now. Please keep it short if you will."

Marble walked to the front of the stuffy classroom. The light from the small window seemed to brighten her snow white blonde hair. Metallica couldn't tell if it was the trick of the light, but the girl's baby blue eyes seemed to turn purple under the light. "My family's history goes back to the middle ages were my ancestor, who was perhaps a great grandfather or uncle with so many greats in front of it that it would be useless to say how many greats it were, because then it would lose its meaning of 'great', worked under a king. My ancestor did not have a last name, as last names were just then starting to occur, and those with last names were paired with what their job title was, but it was the king who gave him a last name, and the last name was Longbottom, because my ancestor fell down staircases and did not get hurt because he only fell on his bottom, and since it was such a great fall, the king said he must have had a long bottom." Marble put her paper down and looked up. "I'm finished."

The headmaster did not miss a thing, although the rest of the classroom was looking at the odd girl as if she had sprouted wings, and Trevor looked as if he wanted to disappear. "Very well, please be seated. Miss Wood, if you would please?"

Molly, who Metallica had not noticed in the room, quickly shuffled to the front. As she began to speak, Metallica let her mind wonder. She thought about what the headmaster had said about the Malfoys and Morgana. It was an odd statement, that it would matter in a few years. What would happen in a few years? Metallica quickly crossed it out of her mind. The future was the future, and thinking about it only made it farther away. No use in thinking about it until it was time for it.

"And that is how our family earned the last name 'Wood'." Molly finished her tale. Metallica blinked rapidly. She seemed to come to the wrong end of the conversation. She nudged Trevor beside her.

"How did she get the last name?" She whispered.

"I didn't catch all of it, but it appeared to have something to do with fairies." Fairies? Those were real too? Metallica shook her head. The world no longer made sense.

"Miss McLeod?" The headmaster called her name. The two eyed each other. The headmaster had a smug look on his face, as if he believed he was going to win the battle today. _You're wrong old man._

Metallica stomped to the front, having no attention of actually doing what the professor wanted. She eyed the man down. She held the crinkled paper in her hand.

"Please begin Miss McLeod."

Metallica felt her eyes blazing. They always seemed to blaze when she was angry. "I'm from the United States. I lived in Georgia before coming here, right next to the Florida border. And that's all I have to tell you." She through the paper on the desk and started to stalk about of the classroom.

"What about your family? Your mother and father?" The headmaster asked.

"I have no family. That's why I didn't do the paper." And she walked out, leaving behind four confused boys.

[T][h][i][n][k]

"What did you think of it?" The headmaster asked.

Draco Malfoy groaned and set his drink down. "Of what? I don't think much of anything. I think you are wasting your time asking me this. I have my own business to attend to and have no time for Hogwarts and a new postion."

"Is that why you are really concerned with? Or is it truly someone that keeps you away?"

Malfoy shot the man a dirty look and gulped down more of the fire whiskey. "I believe the real question is why you would want a drunken old sod like me here? What is it that you are after?"

The headmaster gave him a half smile, which did not allow Malfoy to know whether the man was sad or scheming. "Strange events are afoot my dear fellow." He watched as Malfoy downed more and more of the whiskey. "Few souls have sensed it, but soon, very soon I fear everyone will know and then, old man, we shall need our old heroes back to usher in the new generation."

"I am not a hero. I believe I was a villain in the old days."

"Villains tend to be heroes in their old right, thou I suppose few ever notice it. That girl you saw earlier, I believe she would say the same."

"She's an odd one for sure, no more odd than that Longbottom-Lovegood or whatever name was. I actually like her quite a bit."

"Who, Marble?"

Malfoy chocked on his whiskey. "Don't be daft man. The day I ever like a Longbottom spawn in the slightest is the day I sprout wings." The headmaster gave him a knowing look. "Devil take you, you old bugger. Are you even giving me a choice in this matter?"

The headmaster smirked. "No, no I am not."

[B][l][a][z][e]

"It does not react well at all." The young one hmpfed.

"It is young, give it time." The soft voice reasoned.

"It doesn't have time! We don't have time!" The young one cried.

"Be at peace. What come shall come, and it shall be ready, have no fear, it shall be ready. It knows no other way." The elder, the leader, soothed the outraged young one. "It knows no other way."


End file.
